Tax Hikes, Funding/Staff Cuts Await Many NJ School Districts

A majority of New Jersey’s school districts are going to have to get creative now that Trenton has announced revised, school aid funding figures due to the coronavirus pandemic.  $336 million has been sliced off of Governor Phil Murphy’s original funding allocation to the state’s school districts announced several months ago.

Many school districts statewide are facing the prospect of raising taxes and cutting personnel to make up for the funding shortfall heading into the 2020-21 academic year, even if they had already approved next year’s school budget.

The Murphy administration released the revised numbers last week.  Funding was cut in 375 of New Jersey’s school districts, a direct result of the pandemic, which has torn through the state’s economy like a bull in a China shop.  The Governor has had to rescind Executive Order No. 73 which he signed last year.  It would have forced the State Department of the Treasury to reach a $1.276 billion surplus before the end of this fiscal year.  The Governor admits achieving that goal is no longer a possibility.

He’s told legislators that raising property taxes is “regressive.”  He’s rejected the consolidation of school districts.

So, what does this all mean for school districts in Hudson County?  Which are being hit the hardest?  Which will avoid the knife?

Hudson school districts’ percentage of funding cuts are:

• Secaucus    10.38%
• Guttenberg   8.5%
• Bayonne  6.74%
• Kearny  6.48%
• East Newark  3.47%
• West New York  3.19%
• Union City  2.46%
• North Bergen  1.40%
• Hudson County VOTECH  0.63%

In terms of the actual amount of dollars lost by a district, Union City and Bayonne have the largest decreases in Hudson County with $4,982,221 and $4,895,374 respectively.  That’s followed by West New York at $3.45 million, Kearny at $2.98 million, North Bergen at $890,383, Guttenberg at $782,140, Secaucus at $227,364, the Hudson County Schools of Technology at $143, 575, and East Newark at $142,783.

Several Hudson County school districts were spared any cuts from the original funding allocations announced in February.  They are Harrison, Hoboken, Jersey City and Weehawken.