State chops school aid, Districts in pain include Cherry Hill, Haddon Township, Lenape
CHERRY HILL – School officials in some South Jersey districts have reacted with shock and dismay to sharp reductions in state aid.
A cut of almost $7 million, or 19 percent, was “devastating news” for Cherry Hill, said Kwame Morton, the district’s acting superintendent.
Lenape Regional's finances have a "canyon-sized hole" after its aid plunged by $4.7 million, or 20 percent, said Superintendent Carol Birnbohm.
She said the "unprecedented reduction in state aid in one year" will require the Burlington County district to "reevaluate our plans and make deeper cuts that will inevitably impact programs and staffing."
"It's unjustified," said Superintendent Robert Fisicaro in Haddon Township, where aid fell by about $800,000, or 8 percent.
He asserted a state aid formula unfairly penalized middle-class districts, noting cutbacks of about 17 percent each for Voorhees and Oaklyn schools.
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Aid also fell by 11.1 percent for the Eastern Camden County district, which serves older students from Voorhees, Berlin Borough and Gibbsboro.
Elsewhere, reductions measured 57.7 percent in Runnemede, 31.6 percent in Newfield, and about 21 percent in Riverton and Lumberton, according to state statistics.
According to Fisicaro, the cuts "appear to correlate to increases in rising property values and other socioeconomic increases, including the increase in per capita income levels of residents.”
But he asserted “there is no explanation or mechanism for how such factors can actually help a school budget, considering the 2 percent cap on the local tax levy.”
Superintendents: Aid cuts will hurt students
The aid denied to districts would have funded "positions and salaries dedicated to delivering comprehensive programs for students," said Fisicaro.
Area superintendents said districts also are squeezed by rising costs in areas like healthcare, special education and transportation.
“Although we must submit a preliminary budget soon to the county, it may take until July when we have a firm grasp of our actual final deficit,” said Fisicaro.
Barring some change, Fisicaro said, "We're going to have to reduce services to children."
State aid went up or stayed steady for almost all school districts in South Jersey, including all of those in Cumberland County.
But the losing districts were scattered throughout the region.
Locally, the state's figures included these percentage decreases:
●South Harrison – 27.8●Shamong – 20.4●Clearview - 17.4●Barrington - 17.3●Mainland regional district - 17.2●Bordentown Regional - 16.4●Delanco - 16.2●Palmyra – 15.1●Pitman - 13.9●Tabernacle – 10.6●East Greenwich - 9.3●Mantua - 7.4●Elk - 7.3●Chesterfield - 4.5●Black Horse Pike regional - 3.2●Wenonah - 2.3●West Deptford - 1.0
Gov. Phil Murphy said his proposal for statewide aid of $11..7 billion — up by $908 million — would represent the first-ever full funding of a school-funding formula established in 2009.
He said the proposal ensures students "receive the high-quality education necessary to support life-long success."
The governor's Feb. 29 announcement included praise from a South Jersey legislator, Democratic Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt, chair of the Assembly Education Committee.
“New Jersey’s public school system is routinely recognized across the country, and the funding announced today will help ensure it remains nationally-ranked for years to come," said the Cherry Hill Democrat.
Superintendents will push for change
Birnbohm offered a sharply different view, saying "it's essential to know that this 'full funding' involves taking millions of dollars in aid away from about 140 school districts, including ours."
"If you share my disappointment and frustration, I encourage you to reach out to our elected officials," she wrote in a message on the district's website.
"Gov. Murphy's proposed budget is not set in stone, and your input can make a difference," she asserted.
In Haddon Township, Fisicaro said he will work with superintendents in districts with similar problems.
"We're really banding together to address this problem," he said, adding the districts would welcome residents' support.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Aid cuts dismay Cherry Hill, Haddon Township, Lenape school leaders
