200+ NJ School Jobs To Be Axed, Despite $44.7M In Last-Ditch State Aid

NEW JERSEY — Despite millions of dollars in last-ditch funding signed by Gov. Phil Murphy last month to prevent job cuts, increased class sizes, nixed sports programs and more, several New Jersey school districts are moving forward with layoffs amid mass funding gaps.

More than 200 school positions are on the chopping block, spanning from Essex to Cape May counties. The cuts will affect teachers from elementary to high schools, as well as administrative jobs like principals, clerks, aides, custodians, security guards and more.

Murphy noted earlier this year the upcoming school year’s budget will be the single largest investment into public education in state history, and would fully fund the state’s school funding formula for the first time. That formula was part of the School Funding Reform Act of 2008, which aimed to address school funding inequities.

While many districts have received additional funding, more than 200 have seen aid cuts yearly since 2018, as a result of the revision to the SFRA known as S2 that was signed into law by Murphy. The 2024-25 fiscal year is supposed to be the last year of S2 and its cuts.

School districts that have announced layoffs as a result of diminished state aid, inflation or both include the West Orange School District, which is eliminating 24 districtwide staff reductions amid a 2.05 percent reduction in state aid (of the cut positions: a preschool principal, librarian, special education teaching position, three elementary school teaching positions and six high school teaching positions). Most of the cuts were accomplished by not replacing retiring and resigning staff members, officials said. Other staff members were transferred to fill open positions.

In the South Orange-Maplewood Public School District, 28 jobs are on the chopping block, despite the school district’s 11 percent increase in state aid. The funding isn’t nearly enough, administrators have protested, recently appearing at a Legislative hearing in Trenton to argue for more dollars.

“Staff retirements, resignations, and non-renewals also helped reduce the number of eliminated positions,” district officials noted. “The loss of 28 positions would impact 10 employees. The 10 employees to be impacted will be determined by using the ‘Last In, First Out’ principle.”

The Brick Township School District will have a reduction of nearly 50 positions under the proposed 2024-25 school budget, the result of a nearly $4 million gap that had to be closed and a .77 percent reduction in state aid, district officials said. The proposed $162.2 million budget also includes a 2.99 percent increase in the property tax levy.

The reduction in teaching positions also means class sizes will increase again, with the biggest impact at the elementary school level, where classes will have more than 30 students (up to a high of 38 in fifth grade at Osbornville Elementary.

Brick Township School District Superintendent Thomas Farrell said he is hopeful the cuts will be absorbed through retirements and attrition. All new teachers are told up front they face non-renewal after the first year because of the state aid cuts.

Other districts, from Hazlet Township School District to Red Bank Regional and Upper Township School District to Matawan-Aberdeen Regional say they will be cutting 62 jobs total, according to NJ.com. Freehold Regional will be cutting 39 jobs, while the Asbury Park School District will be cutting 27 positions.

Though Matawan-Aberdeen Regional is poised to get more than 7 percent in added state aid this year, the district has been affected by inflation “across the board from fuel for busses to healthcare benefits,” officials said in a statement.

In response to public outcry over this year’s education funding, lawmakers set aside $44.7 million to provide aid boosts to the 141 school districts experiencing reductions. That aid will be doled out in the form of grants comparable to 45 percent of a school district’s state school aid cut for the upcoming school year.

The bill package, signed by Murphy last month, also permits school districts to increase the state’s 2 percent cap on property tax levies. Read more: School Layoffs, Sport Program Cuts May Be Avoided Under 2 New Laws

“The combination of additional state aid and school district tax levy growth cap flexibility achieved by this legislation strikes a key balance: easing the transition to full funding amounts while further empowering school districts to sustain education and support programs beyond S2’s phase-in schedule,” Kevin Dehmer, Acting Commissioner of Education, said in a statement.

But despite the welcome relief plan, education officials are still sounding the alarm on Murphy to robustly reevaluate the school funding formula once and for all. Sen. Andrew Zwicker called the program a “stopgap” intended to provide temporary relief as the state works to find a stable long-term funding solution.

“While this relief is certainly welcome, we recognize that even more work lies ahead, and we must remain laser focused on the matter of how we fund our schools,” said Timothy Purnell, Executive Director of the New Jersey School Boards Association.

Meanwhile, in order to stave off staff cuts, school districts in Hillsborough, Lacey and Princeton are just some of those considering the tax increase in the wake of the aid package.

To prevent layoffs and increased class sizes, the Cherry Hill School District has considered raising taxes by $194.71 on the average assessed home worth $226,922, according to a preliminary budget for the next school year. That district is set to receive 18.97 percent less in state funding compared to the $36.3 million it received last year.

“Our students should not see the impact of these cuts,” Board Member Adam Greenbaum said at a recent meeting.

A similar measure was approved this month in Wayne, where the upcoming school year’s budget includes a $204 tax increase for the average property owner. The budget will also include over a dozen staff reductions.

District officials said removing these 14 roles will help account for a loss in COVID-related aid for some counselor positions, and an increase in costs for special education services and teacher salaries. Some facilities upgrades have also been put on pause, school officials said during a final budget hearing earlier this month.

Board officials said they did not have much “wiggle room” in drafting next year’s budget, and mentioned that cuts to programs are possible to make ends meet. For example, renovations to the next-generation science labs at both high schools would be put on pause while the district re-directs those funds to more pressing needs.

District Business Administrator William Moffitt said officials are now working to plan for increases in the amount of money needed to cover student support services, including out-of-district placements, professional services and transportation aid.

“Administration has developed a plan to further address and control costs,” he said. “It’s something we’re keeping an eye on and actively working on it.”

-With reporting by Michelle Rotuno-Johnson.