JACKSON – School officials are trying to educate decision makers in Trenton about their school budget crisis.
Jackson was one of several local districts that lost significant state aid under S-2, a 2018 bill that redistributed money away from certain schools and toward others.
Two proposed bills, (S-3732 and A-5328) acknowledge the damage that the state aid funding formula S-2 created in Jackson and surrounding schools. The bills would give back to the district two-thirds of the $6.5 million in aid they lost for the coming year. The Senate bill has been approved. The Assembly bill was being voted upon this week. The results were not known as of press time. But some say the end result is only a step in the right direction.
The district recently sent a notification out to parents explaining that even if it does pass, the district will still be enduring a $2.1 million loss in state aid for the coming year – which means that the district’s “perfect storm” is still raging.
School Superintendent Nicole Pormilli said, “Would we be grateful to not have to endure a full $6.5 million cut? Absolutely! However, we are absolutely still in crisis and we absolutely need to keep up our efforts to educate decision-makers in Trenton about our situation.”
The school budget was introduced on March 15. There’s a portion of the school website that describes the budget and features contact information, sample letters and facts residents can use in calls and emails.
Superintendent Nicole Pormilli (Photo by Bob Vosseller)
Pormilli testified on March 21 before the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee about the crisis the district is facing in light of losing $16 million in aid over the past five years, the district’s efficiency even during impossible times, and the district’s unique rising costs – particularly in the area of nonpublic transportation.
“Essentially, this bill brings us back to almost the same state aid loss we anticipated when S-2 was announced – remember we were told we would lose $2.5M this year due to S-2, and then two weeks before the tentative budgets were due, we were told we would instead be losing $6.5 million,” Pormilli explained.
She added, “this is ‘one-time’ relief – meaning while we would lose less aid for the coming year, it does not alter the S-2 formula, it does not replace the $16 million we lost over the past five years, and it does not freeze the S-2 cut we have coming for the 2024-2025 school year.”
The superintendent said the district is still facing steep cuts for the upcoming school year because it is still facing a massive deficit of revenue due to the years of S-2. Overall, 42% of the district’s state aid has been cut over the last six years.
“Compounded with inflation, extraordinary increases in our nonpublic transportation responsibilities, increased student needs for ELL (English Language Learners) and other services, we remain fighting a perfect storm,” Pormilli said. “The district is asking residents to keep up efforts to encourage a better solution for Jackson that will not unravel the district and will allow it to continue to offer wonderful opportunities to our students.”
She said the district will continue to have conversations with local and state decision-makers who hold the district’s fate in their hands, including testifying at the state Senate Budget Appropriations Committee hearings, saying the conversations have been positive, and that the district is encouraged about the progress.
“I thank any resident who can help us draw attention to our situation and educate those who made decisions about our future. We have reached a fiscal cliff and we need everyone’s voice to be heard,” Pormilli said.
Residents can help by reaching out to lawmakers to educate them about the district’s unique challenges and encourage action to save the district. The district has placed key resources on the district website – jacksonsd.org which includes an overview of budget challenges.
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