JACKSON – School officials responded to the state’s announcement that districts – such as Jackson and Plumsted – seeking loans from the Department of Education (DOE) for the 2024-2025 school year will be denied.
DOE Acting Commissioner Kevin Dehmer recently announced that any school district seeking to fill their budget gap for the next school year budget will not get approval.
School Districts across the state have had funding slashed for seven years following the implementation of the S-2 State Aid funding formula.
Jackson Board of Education President Giuseppe Palmeri responded to this news saying, “since the start of the S-2 funding formula, the Jackson School District has lost over $23 million in school funding.”
“This caused the district to make deep cuts to the budget including eliminating faculty/staff positions, cutting extracurricular activities and ending some sports programs. The Department of Education refuses to ensure that school districts are able to balance their budgets with no advice other than to cut millions of dollars,” Palmeri added.
Palmeri called on state legislators and Governor Phil Murphy to restore funding “to our school districts and if they are not willing to account for seven years of unfair funding, they have a duty to provide options so districts can continue to provide students their constitutional rights of a ‘thorough and efficient education.’”
“The Department of Education is putting the education of many New Jersey students at risk. This is no time to play politics,” he added.
He told The Jackson Times, “I want to be clear to parents that they should not be looking to pack up and ship out. I have three kids in the Jackson school system right now and they are staying there. I also stated at the last Board of Education meeting that I would not vote on a budget with any more cuts.”
“We have cut enough and even our state monitor concluded that we should not cut anymore. I’m confident that the Department of Education will rethink its position on loans. However, if the Department of Education does not change its position, then we will not pass a budget that will jeopardize our students,” Palmeri added.
Palmeri said, “we will defer to the county to come in and take a look at the budget and see what they recommend. I’m confident the county, like they did the previous year, will conclude that we cannot cut any more than we have. However, I would like to see our community emailing and calling legislators and the Department of Education asking for their support.”
Palmeri noted, “right now I think the best approach is patience mixed with urgency. We need to work with the Department of Education and come to a fair conclusion – one that will benefit the students of Jackson.”
“This announcement could have unimaginable consequences for our students,” Superintendent Nicole Pormilli said. “We are educators. We will not approve a budget that cuts $30 million more. This may mean that the state has to come in to make cuts.”
“We always knew we would get to the place of no return and we are there. No one wants to take a loan. You don’t take that lightly. You cut everything you can first. We have done that. There’s nothing left,” she added.
Pormilli explained that if the district is unable to secure additional aid through a legislative solution and is not permitted to take a loan, the district will not approve a budget that cuts $30 million more when it holds its public budget hearing on May 7.
The next step would be a state review and the state could come in to make cuts. She said the state would likely focus on areas that are not defined as being part of a “thorough and efficient” education, known as “T&E” in education-speak.
“We are just the first domino teetering on the edge here,” she said. “Other districts are right behind us. We need immediate assistance and we need a sustainable solution to school funding in New Jersey or those dominoes are going to fall.”
The district has posted information on how residents can help advocate for the district on their website – jacksonsd.org and their Facebook Page facebook.com/jacksonschooldistrictnj.
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