COURT HOUSE – The state Department of Education has released proposed school aid figures based on Gov. Phil Murphy’s $44.8 billion Fiscal Year 2022 budget.
All but three school districts in Cape May County will see decreased aid, part of a continuation of the Murphyadministration’s changes to the funding formula intended to move money from districts deemed overfunded to those that have been underfunded.
The 2018 School Funding Reform Act imposed a seven-year step down in adjustment aid for school districts with declining enrollment. It also removed limits that had previously reduced the aidallocated to districts with growing enrollments.
The preliminary figures released this week for Fiscal Year 2022 show county districts losing $6,282,318, or 11.32%, when compared to funding levels in the previous year. The only two districts that would see an increase are Ocean City, up $156,799, and West Wildwood, up $455. The County Vocational District would see no change.
All other districts will experience a drop in state aid.
In Fiscal Year 2021, county school districts saw a decrease in state aid of $5,159,081, or 8.5%.
