JACKSON, NJ – According to Jackson School Board President Megan Gardella, at a recent state-hosted hearing with school board leaders from across the state, New Jersey Department of Education officials did not want to hear any sob stories.
“The Department of Education held this hearing to say they didn’t want to hear your sob stories, but if you had suggestions on how S2 funding could be changed to benefit each district.”
Gardella said that many speakers offered suggestions, but it was just an information-gathering session, and those districts will have to wait for the Department of Education to move on those suggestions. That process could take years, if not decades, if the Department of Education’s history is considered.
Among those districts, some said they could not even afford toilet paper.
“Most districts there have a revenue problem,” she said. “Some towns couldn’t afford toilet paper this month. It was story after story about what would happen in the coming school year if the state did not provide relief.”
Jackson is one of many school districts suffering under New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s S2 funding which sends excess funds to underperforming school districts and equitably disburses state tax revenue, according to the governor.
Jackson School Board Business Administrator Dan Baginski said, “Our pleas are falling on deaf ears.”
That equitable funding formula has led to accounting and revenue shortages in Jackson Township, which closed and sold one elementary school, Rosenauer Elementary School. Bais Yaakov of Jackson purchased that school after 62 years of operations. Bais Yaakov was previously denied by the township to build an all-girls high school on Cross Street.
This year, the district is considering selling another school, merging schools, and redistricting its two high schools into one. No plan has been announced yet.
As of this report, the board is still hosting a public meeting to discuss the matter.
