State aid to local schools may drop 1.5% next year
WEST MILFORD. Local district would be among 137 with declines in state aid, compared with 422 districts set to see increases.
| 06 Mar 2024 | 04:09
State aid to the West Milford Township School District would slide 1.5 percent next year, according to the state budget introduced by Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., last week.
The district would receive $5,489,980 for the 2024-25 school year, down $81,537 from the amount it received for 2023-24.
West Milford would be among the 137 districts with a decline in state aid, compared with 422 districts set to see increases. Aid to 15 districts would not change.
According to figures released by the state Department of Education on Feb. 29, the West Milford district would receive $2,725,234 in special-education aid, $1,582,808 in equalization aid, $842,009 in transportation aid and $339,929 in security aid.
State aid to the township’s schools has been declining for several years as enrollment also fell.
In his budget, Murphy added $908 million in grades K-12 formula aid to fully fund the state’s school funding formula for the first time since it was established in 2009.
The money is the single largest investment in his budget proposal.