TOMS RIVER, N.J. — Senate Republican Budget Officer Declan O’Scanlon on Thursday called on Democratic leadership in the New Jersey Senate to advance legislation and a budget resolution that would restore $45 million in school aid to nearly 100 districts that have lost funding over the past seven years.
Those districts include suburban centers such as Toms River, Jackson, Middletown and other large districts that have been forced to cut teachers, programs and close schools in the past two years.
In a letter sent to Senate President Nicholas Scutari and Senate Budget Chairman Paul Sarlo, O’Scanlon urged immediate action on bill S-4434 and budget resolution #164. He argued the measures would address the ongoing impact of a cumulative $300 million reduction in formula-based aid, citing increased pressure on local schools and property taxpayers.
“While withholding the $45 million in formula-based aid for the upcoming school year, the Governor is redirecting the same amount to dozens of new appropriations to favored schools and municipalities outside of any formula,” O’Scanlon wrote. “Redirecting formula-based aid to pork—based on nothing more than favoritism—is more than just bad policy. It violates the constitutional requirement that the funding source (income tax revenue) be appropriated only by formula.”
The $45 million restoration, according to O’Scanlon, could be funded without raising taxes by using recent revenue surpluses and cost-saving proposals from Republican legislators. He emphasized that the affected districts would finally be receiving relief based on the current funding formula, which the administration has previously refused to revise.
Democratic leaders have not yet issued a public response to O’Scanlon’s request. The school funding bill and accompanying resolution remain pending in the Senate, with budget negotiations continuing ahead of the new fiscal year.
Funding debate centers on aid fairness
O’Scanlon criticized what he called selective appropriations that bypass the state’s established school funding formula. He compared the $45 million redirection to a separate $150 million in municipal aid reportedly reallocated earlier this year.
Supporters of the restoration effort argue that continuing to withhold aid under the formula could exacerbate educational disparities and further burden taxpayers in districts that have already experienced years of cuts. O’Scanlon concluded his letter by framing the request as a constitutional obligation, not just a policy dispute.
The Legislature is expected to finalize budget decisions in the coming weeks.
