Ocean, monmouth counties hit hard by phil murphy funding assault against shore schools

Ocean, Monmouth Counties Hit Hard by Phil Murphy Funding Assault Against Shore Schools

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1 min read
March 26, 2019

Even the NJEA can’t stomach what Governor Murphy has done to students here at the Jersey Shore: Too many students will be hurt by drastic cuts to some districts.

TRENTON-Phil Murphy is raising taxes on just about anything in New Jersey since taking office. He’s also increasing state aid to many underperforming districts across the state, including a whopping $16 million to students in the only Ocean County town that supported him in his election.

As for the towns surrounding Lakewood, which voted for his opponent, Kim Guadagno, Murphy is making drastic cuts and as many as 1,000 teachers and faculty here are facing the prospect of losing their jobs. The irony in the Murphy actions against Ocean and Monmouth County school funding is that the boards of education in Brick Township and Toms River Township are primarily controlled by Murphy Democrats under the “Clean Slate” banner who have been unable to use their political connections and support for Murphy to convince the Governor to change his decision to slash funding in those districts.

The largest school district in the area, the Toms River Regional School District has announced 80 jobs will be cut due to a cut by Murphy of over $83 million over the next 6 years. This year alone, the district will lose $2.6 million from Murphy.

School boards in Jackson, Brick and Lacey have also hinted at large staff reductions this year.

Murphy has cut $38 million from Monmouth County schools, led by Democrat State Assemblywoman Joann Downey and Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling.

NJEA President Marie Blistan hailed Murphy’s 2019 budget.

“Gov. Murphy’s second budget is a progressive, people-focused budget that builds on the investments his administration has already made. It focuses on the things that working families need in order to thrive, including record investment in public education,” Blistan said. “It demonstrates respect for working people by continuing the path toward responsible pension funding with the largest pension contribution in New Jersey history.”

“Too many students will be hurt by drastic cuts to some districts,” the NJEA also said.

There is good news in the Murphy budget this year. He has earmarked $7.5 million annually to fund Planned Parenthood.

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

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