New Jersey Forcing South Jersey Schools To Make Difficult Choices

Two months after New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that the state's School Funding Formula will have $11.7 billion committed for the 2024-25 Fiscal School Year, multiple South Jersey School Districts are being forced to make staff cuts.

This is because 63 School Districts in South Jersey will lose State Funding according to the New Jersey Department of Education's State Aid Summaries. As a result, many schools are having to make difficult decisions ahead of the 2024-25 School Year.

In the aftermath of these State Aid cuts, two Atlantic County School Districts are having to make staffing cuts.

What South Jersey School Districts are making Staffing Cuts

The Somers Point School District will lose $1,135,459 for the 2024-25 School Year. This has forced the school district to eliminate 13 Staff Positions to prevent any long-term budget issues. This decision is on top of the district having to cancel or postpone different capital projects.

The Mainland Regional School District will have $1,412,716 of State Aid cut for the 2024-25 School Year. As a result, the school district has made the difficult decision to eliminate 17 staff positions, a number that includes Seven Teachers. These staffing cuts impact the following Departments: Spanish, Special Education, Math, Social Studies, and Chemistry.

The Dennis Township School District has lost 75 percent of state aid since 2018 and an additional $106,046 will be absent from the 2024-25 School Year. A total of $4.3 Million has been diverted from Dennis Township over the last six years, forcing the School District to make staffing cuts and the future of after-school programs has come into question.

Two different legislative bills have been passed by the New Jersey Assembly (A-4161 and A-4059) to rectify short and long-term School Budget shortfalls. These bills would significantly aid the 63 South Jersey School Districts that have lost state aid for the 2024-25 School Year.

One of the primary sources of funding for School Districts is Property Taxes. Some municipalities in New Jersey have been forced to raise taxes in order to offset cuts to State Aid for School Districts.

Here is a breakdown of Property Tax Rates across New Jersey. Find out how your hometown compares to others around the state: