While the Ocean City School District has reaped the benefits of its School Choice program to collect additional state aid, other area districts have suffered tremendously over the past seven years under the School Funding Reform Act of 2018.
Mainland Regional High School, Somers Point and Upper Township school districts have all lost millions of dollars in funding.
Just this year, administrators at Mainland were forced to deal with a loss of $1.4 million in aid after Gov. Phil Murphy delivered his budget address Feb. 27. To make up for the loss, the district budget increased the tax levy 2.678 percent and eliminated 17 staff positions.
The Somers Point district received $6.1 million in state aid for 2018-19 and just $2.1 million for 2024-25, a loss of more than $4 million, or 66 percent, in just seven years.
Dealing with the effects of state aid cuts and the loss of COVID funding just this year, the district was forced to cut 13 certified staff positions, gut its Multi-Tiered System of Support, postpone or cancel capital projects, increase the tax levy 4.45 percent, made a 10 percent reduction in all supply accounts and used $250,000 in maintenance reserve funds.
In Upper Township, the district lost another $559,718 in state aid. Since 2016-17, the district has lost $5,986,469 in state aid, down from $10,131,084 to $4,144,615.
Upper Township cut nine teaching staff positions and its security officers, as well as eliminated all of its kindergarten aide positions, courtesy busing and after-school clubs and sports.
Fortunately, Murphy signed legislation May 14 establishing a Stabilized School Budget Aid Grant Program, returning some of the aid lost this year. The bill appropriated $44.7 million to support the program.
In addition to providing supplementary state aid of 45 percent of the amount lost for 2024-25, the legislation allowed certain districts experiencing reductions to request increases in their adjusted property tax levies in excess of the 2 percent cap to as much as 9.9 percent.
According to Business Administrator Chandra Anaya, the Mainland Regional High School Board of Education received $635,722 back from the state and has recommended increasing the tax levy to 6 percent. A budget hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. June 27.
With the stabilization aid funding and increase to the tax levy, Mainland was able to bring back six positions of the 17 originally cut. Additionally, it will be able to continue providing access to certification tests, PSAT and AP testing at no cost to students. There also is an allocation of about $400,000 that will be for capital projects (such as replacing outdated mechanics in the building and resurfacing the tennis courts).
After Murphy signed the legislation, the Somers Point Board of Education presented its amended budget June 12. The new spending plan raises the tax levy 8.5 percent and tax rate 8.78 cents while using the additional monies to fund three teachers, basic supplies, technology and capital projects.
The Upper Township board voted to increase the tax levy to 8 percent and the tax rate 10.9 cents to $1.559 per $100 of assessed value. That raises an additional $1,490,916 for the district. The amended spending plan includes an operating budget of $38,385,721 and tax levy of $29,754,193, up $2.2 million from 2023-24.
With the increased funding, the district was able to bring back courtesy busing, middle school sports, elementary and middle school clubs, busing to sporting events and summer enrichment, security guards, mental health counseling, new math resources, two elementary school basic skills teachers and some kindergarten aides.
The district used the grant, a total of $288,390, to purchase Chromebooks for each student and the excess taxes to return some of the items that had to be cut under the budget approved in April.
Enrollment also plays a factor. Mainland’s student body has fallen from 1,340 in 2016 to 1,168 anticipated for 2025, a loss of 172 students, or 13 percent.
Somers Point has seen a steady decline in its number of students, falling from a high of 1,204 in 2009 to 672 in 2023, a loss of 532, or 44 percent.
Upper Township enrollment also is down, dropping from 1,919 in 2018-19 to 1,858 in 2023-24, a loss of 61 students, or 3 percent.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff