Legislation sponsored by Senator Declan O’Scanlon that exempts certain school districts from state aid cuts was approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Sen. Declan O’Scanlon’s bill that exempts certain school districts from state aid cuts was approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. (©iStock)

“Republicans have argued for years that the state’s school funding formula needs to be rolled back and reformed to avoid unfair aid cuts and to protect taxpayers in New Jersey. In response to the proposed school funding cuts, a school in my district eliminated necessary student services to make ends meet, which is a direct reflection on the flawed nature of the S2 school funding formula,” said O’Scanlon (R-13). “We need to do a better job because many schools throughout the state are suffering from the S2 formula and the supplementary funding that was recently approved is not a long-term solution. This legislation is a small, but much-needed step towards larger reforms that would provide assistance to the Freehold Regional School District to ensure that their students do not lose courtesy busing in the coming school year.”

Since 2020, New Jersey has used a controversial school funding formula known as S2, which was created in 2018 to provide an equitable distribution of aid among school districts throughout the state. Republicans have argued that this formula is deeply flawed and believe that it should be fixed to avoid unfair school aid cuts.

In March 2023, it was revealed that nearly 200 school districts were losing funds under the proposed 2024 fiscal budget. In response to the proposed cuts, the Freehold Regional School Board voted to eliminate bus routes for students who live within 2.5 miles of the school to save money.

Senator O’Scanlon’s bill, S-3950, aims to freeze school aid cuts for regional schools that meet certain requirements. To receive an exemption under the bill, the district must be regional and compromised of five or more constituent school districts. Additionally, they must spend 15% less in administrative costs per pupil than the statewide average for regional school districts and have mitigated the costs of regionalization.

The final condition that eligible school districts must meet is to have raised their district taxes up to the maximum limit permitted by law during each of the last five years.

School districts that receive an exemption to state aid cuts would be prohibited from eliminating courtesy busing for students who reside in their district.

“Children should not have to put their lives at risk walking to and from school as they would in the Freehold School District if they were to lose their courtesy busing. This bill restores funding for the district so that they can provide necessary transportation for their students” O’Scanlon added. “While this bill doesn’t address other school districts that are struggling throughout the state, we have to start somewhere so that we can reach a long-term solution for the state. When you let the little issues pile up, it makes addressing the bigger picture more difficult.”