West Milford schools to get $1.3M from state

The West Milford Township School District will receive more than $1.3 million in stabilization aid from the state budget, according to a report on NJ.com.

The state Department of Education on Dec. 23 said a total of $29.7 million would go to 42 districts to make up for reduced state aid and budget shortfalls, the report said. The money is from the fiscal 2023 budget.

Among the other districts receiving stabilization aid are Andover Regional, $418,526; Hopatcong, $120,027; and Jefferson Township, $247,586.

This is the second year that districts could apply for stabilization aid if they had a reduction in state aid or faced a structural budgetary imbalance.

The aid is intended to help districts restructure their operations to align with current state funding levels.

In 2021, 16 districts received a total of $37 million in stabilization aid. That included more than $4 million for the Vernon Township School District.

Vernon used that money to fund positions lost because of earlier state-aid cuts.

Westbrook change

In November, the West Milford Township Board of Education voted to turn Westbrook Elementary School into Highlander Academy, an inclusive special-education program, starting with the 2023-24 school year.

The elementary schools will be redistricted to accommodate Westbrook students.

The change was recommended by the district’s Restructuring Committee, which was created because of continuing reductions in state aid.

The district has lost slightly less than $8 million in state aid since the 2018-19 school year. District enrollment also has declined.