Funding for public schools is expected to be a tough topic during New Jersey’s budget season. Some lawmakers and education advocates say it’s time to revamp the school funding formula.
One lawmaker says that lifting the 2% cap on property-tax increases could help districts facing the steepest cuts in state aid. A bill introduced by Sen. Andrew Zwicker (D-Middlesex) would allow certain districts that have faced year-over-year funding cuts to increase property taxes above the 2% cap without taking it to voters first. The cap was put in place by Gov. Chris Christie. Currently, districts can exceed it only with voter approval.
“Our district lost $15 million in actual state aid over the course of six years,” said Scott Feder, superintendent of the South Brunswick School District. “And that would be bad enough, but the issue, the reality of a 2% cap in 6% – 7% inflation periods of time is just that. It takes a lot more than 2% to operate.”
“There are towns where they have commercial development, they have growth overall. And the amount of money that they need to go over this 2% cap is not that much. So there’ll be some districts where there’ll be no impact whatsoever on the homeowner. And there’ll be somewhere there could be some,” Zwicker said.
