Even though the Jersey City school district had been hit hard by six years of cuts in state aid, Thursday’s announcement of funding for districts across New Jersey was another blow.
The proposed cut of $51.1 million from aid for the 2023-24 school year is the largest reduction in aid in the state and comes after cuts of more than $68 million were made for the current school year. Union City’s appropriation is $93 million higher than the district’s proposed aid of $133.6 million.
Union City, Bayonne, and Kearny were some of the most prosperous municipalities in Hudson County, each accruing increases of over $12 million from the previous year. The current amount of Bayonne’s aid is $109 million, an increase of $16.7 million from last year. The amount given to Kearny grew by $12.3 million, and the amount given to Union City grew by $12.8 million.
John Niesz, the Bayonne school superintendent, has said that this aid is greatly appreciated. Over 500 new students have enrolled at our school this academic year. Our classroom instruction, mental health services, social services, programming, hiring of faculty, counsellors, and staff, and provision of services for students with special needs and English language learners will all benefit from this funding.
Learning in Jersey City Superintendent Norma Fernandez was not shocked by a 27% cut in aid for her district because of the complex funding formula that takes into account a city’s affluence and, therefore, its ability to raise money for its schools through taxation.
It was expected that state aid would be reduced today, she said. The net assessed value in Jersey City has increased significantly. As a result, the state will keep cutting our budget under S2 because we are not getting the recommended Local Fair Share.
State Aid Allocations
She mentioned that the district’s share of the city’s budget for charter schools has grown.
Since last November, “we have been working diligently to build a very lean budget,” Fernandez stated. The tax levy is not raised by the district. But I will keep fighting for kids to get a good education that prepares them well for the future.
Jersey City received $418.7 million in state aid for the 2016-2017 school year, but this was the first year of a seven-year state austerity plan that put the burden of fully funding the city’s schools on city taxpayers.
The Jersey City school board approved a $973.8 million spending plan in March, which resulted in a roughly $1,600 increase in the school tax portion of property taxes for the typical homeowner. The portion of property taxes allocated to schools rose by nearly $1,000 last year.
In the coming weeks, a proposed budget will be unveiled.
Union City received $226,000,000 in state aid, an increase of 6% from the previous year. Superintendent Silvia Abbato expressed her appreciation to Governor Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Department of Education for their funding and support of public schools in the state. With these funds, we will maintain our commitment to giving students in urban areas an excellent education.
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