NJ school funding: Here's how Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Union County schools could get

Most school districts in Central Jersey will see their state aid rise under Gov. Phil Murphy's proposed budget plan, except for Hunterdon County, where most districts would lose funding.

Murphy's plan proposed this week would provide $8.7 billion to districts statewide, an increase of $206 million or 2.4 percent from the current school year.

The boost in aid to schools is part of Murphy's plan to eventually provide full funding to all K-12 schools under a formula set by state law in 2008. On Friday, the governor reiterated his commitment to full funding. 

"On Tuesday, I presented a state budget that makes continuing our investment in our public schools a centerpiece," Murphy said during a press conference at West Orange High School. "Last year, we injected more than $350 million back in our classroom after years of the prior administration's budget cuts."

Combined with this year's proposed $206 million, Murphy will have funneled more than half a billion dollars in additional aid to districts over two years. "That's what I would call real progress," he said.

“New Jersey’s economic future is inextricably tied to education,” Murphy said in a statement released before his press conference. “This budget – providing historic levels of state aid for schools, while advancing funding equity throughout the state – truly meets the benchmark of a stronger and fairer New Jersey.”

The budget plan also reflected significant changes in the way aid is distributed in the state. In July, Murphy signed a law updating the formula to even out school aid across districts, with a focus on redirecting money to underfunded districts. 

As a result, some districts that were considered overfunded — including districts that had declines in enrollment — would see money redirected to the neediest districts under the budget plan.

The rate of increase and decrease ranged widely throughout the region.

Linden, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Bound Brook, Somerset Hills and Edison are slotted to receive more than 12 percent increases from the year prior.

Other districts, however, would lose funding. In Somerset County, Hillsborough was the lone district of 18 in the county that would lose funding, down 2.11 percent, or $526,434. Somerset County Vocational and Technical Schools would remain unchanged.

Of Middlesex County's 24 districts, Woodbridge would gain 21.78 percent, or $7.3 million, followed by North Brunswick, which would receive a 19.08 percent increase, or $3.5 million.

The districts hit the hardest would be South Brunswick, with a loss of 4.63 percent in funding, or $1.1 million, and Old Bridge, with a decrease of 4.44 percent, or $1.9 million.

South Plainfield would see a decrease of 1.98 percent and state funding in Piscataway's district would remain unchanged.

By far, Hunterdon County would see the largest decreases.

Nineteen of Hunterdon's 26 districts would lose state funding under the proposal. The hardest hit would be Frenchtown, which would see a decrease of 23.29 percent, or $177,147. The districts of Milford, Lebanon Township, Hampton, Delaware Valley, Califon and Bloomsbury would all see a decrease of 8 percent or more.

Hunterdon Central Regional High School is slated to lose 2.89 percent, or $163,973, and North Hunterdon Regional High School would lose 3.68 percent, or $200,892.

In Union County, Linden would see the biggest increase with 13.34 percent, or $3.6 million, followed by Westfield with 11.82 percent, Scotch Plains-Fanwood with 11.41 and New Providence with 11.38 percent.

"The budget proposed by Governor Murphy takes significant steps to provide cities like Linden with the tools they need to move in the right direction," Linden Mayor Derek Armstead said in a statement. "We are proud to stand beside Governor Murphy, our school board and city council working as a team." 

Some districts that are slated to lose money have pledged to fight the changes in education aid. Hundreds of people from across New Jersey protested in Trenton saying the cuts would hurt the quality of education in their schools.

The protesters, representing 72 districts, said they will face critical decisions about teacher layoffs, programs cuts and rising taxes due to the redistribution of state aid to schools.

The changes in aid come after a decade-long struggle to implement the funding formula adopted under the 2008 School Funding Reform Act. The formula uses a weighted system that steers money to districts according to the number of students and needs of those students.

However, the formula was not followed during years of the Christie administration when school funding remained flat.

Last year, Murphy signed a law updating the formula to even out school aid across districts. The law eliminated adjustment aid — money that districts had been receiving on top of their formula funding to minimize the impact of funding cuts after the formula was adopted.

On Friday, Murphy said he empathized with districts dealing with cuts and had met with representatives from the Toms River and Brick school districts. But he defended the changes in funding.

“You had both underfunding and a formula that was not allowed to work and you had demographics shifting in the state," he said. "This was a formula that was based in 2008, so the demographics of 2019 have shifted meaningfully."

The update in the law, he said, adjusts funding to correct levels that were supposed to happen over seven years. This is year two, he said.

"There’s going to be far more winners than losers but we care about every kid in the state," he said. "We want to get it as right as we can."

The state has set a goal to have all districts receive the amount they are entitled to under the state’s school-funding formula by 2025. The formula is based on each district’s enrollment, demographics, and ability to fund schools with local taxes.

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Contributing: Hannan Adley

Staff Writer Nick Muscavage: 908-243-6615; ngmuscavage@gannettnj.com