TRENTON — More school districts would get more money under a competing school funding formula put forward by state Democratic lawmakers. Although many districts would also lose money.

The only question is how the state will pay for it all. It's an important point because Gov. Phil Murphy, whose administration released its own school aid budget in March, and Democratic Senate President Steven Sweeney have threatened a government shutdown if both sides don't agree on a spending plan by the end of this month.

Murphy wants permanent tax hikes, including increases on sales taxes and millionaires. Democrats have countered with a two-year surcharge on businesses and a tax amnesty plan that would generate a combined $950 million.

The Democratic school aid proposal, advanced Tuesday by the budget committees in the state Senate and Assembly, would add $348 million to school funding, for a total $8.428 billion. Large aid increases would be afforded to districts that have been chronically underfunded under the state’s existing formula.

Find your district in the charts below.

The legislative proposal is $65 million more than Murphy's plan. But unlike the administration's formula, which would not penalize any district, the legislative proposal would slash aid to 190 districts.

While Murphy's proposal would have provided at least $1 million more to 50 school districts, the legislative proposal would boost aid by at least a million for 86 districts.

And not just the poorest districts, which have always received the lion's share of state aid (and still would.)

Woodbridge would get another $4.9 million, instead of just $1.4 million under Murphy's plan.

Edison would get an additional $4.27 million, instead of just $775,000.

North Brunswick would get an additional $4.23 million, instead of just $731,000.

Manville would get an additional $3.2 million, instead of just $302,000.

Robbinsville's state aid would increase by 117 percent, more than doubling by $3.6 million rather than the $156,000 increase proposed by the administration.

The biggest losers would be Jersey City, which would lose $3.5 million or 1 percent. Glassboro would lose 11 percent, or $1.85 million. Lakewood, which has struggled to develop spending plans without asking municipal and state leaders for extra infusions of cash, would lose $1.3 million or 5 percent.

Biggest aid increases

DistrictCountyProposed '19 aid$ Change% Change
Newark CityEssex$787,623,912$37,505,9015%
Paterson CityPassaic$426,013,595$20,286,3625%
Elizabeth CityUnion$390,533,502$17,238,6875%
Trenton CityMercer$242,226,749$11,534,6075%
Passaic CityPassaic$240,690,152$9,937,6974%
Union CityHudson$190,188,699$9,056,6055%
Perth Amboy CityMiddlesex$168,100,857$6,753,3154%
New Brunswick CityMiddlesex$133,216,698$6,343,6525%
Plainfield CityUnion$132,241,297$5,772,9585%
Kearny TownHudson$38,275,891$5,155,99516%
Clifton CityPassaic$35,056,868$5,002,70817%
Woodbridge TwpMiddlesex$33,947,560$4,949,88417%
West New York TownHudson$100,371,778$4,779,6095%
Atlantic CityAtlantic$28,795,421$4,670,01019%
Bloomfield TwpEssex$27,671,326$4,651,01620%
Passaic County VocationalPassaic$26,433,633$4,592,07821%
Edison TwpMiddlesex$19,766,625$4,274,60128%
Hackensack CityBergen$19,221,282$4,248,63328%
North Brunswick TwpMiddlesex$18,852,249$4,231,06029%
Irvington TownshipEssex$117,691,353$4,214,1304%
Linden CityUnion$27,271,568$4,079,79418%

Biggest aid decreases

DistrictCountyProposed '19 aid$ Change%
Jersey CityHudson$406,904,292-$3,500,000-1%
GlassboroGloucester$14,597,332-$1,851,478-11%
Lakewood TwpOcean$23,465,461-$1,327,579-5%
Freehold RegionalMonmouth$50,296,156-$1,267,927-3%
Pemberton TwpBurlington$79,232,195-$1,251,335-2%
Asbury Park CityMonmouth$53,206,050-$1,242,258-2%
Brick TwpOcean$34,180,137-$1,124,684-3%
Commercial TwpCumberland$9,310,905-$958,213-9%
Toms River RegionalOcean$66,046,747-$928,647-1%
Jackson TwpOcean$48,794,397-$841,489-2%
Manalapan-EnglishtownMonmouth$18,798,229-$642,129-3%
Neptune TwpMonmouth$31,490,199-$601,586-2%
Old Bridge TwpMiddlesex$44,192,948-$586,794-1%
Lower Cape MayCape May$8,301,309-$556,141-6%
Vernon TwpSussex$23,972,003-$525,917-2%
Howell TwpMonmouth$32,645,750-$512,370-2%

Districts with at least 25% more

DistrictCountyProposed '19 aid$ Change% Change
Chesterfield TwpBurlington$2,403,780$1,582,592193%
River Edge BoroBergen$1,935,956$1,183,206157%
TeterboroBergen$9,654$5,774149%
Robbinsville TwpMercer$6,778,938$3,656,140117%
Rockaway BoroMorris$1,257,001$672,780115%
Little Ferry BoroBergen$4,290,175$2,149,945101%
Absecon CityAtlantic$3,063,939$1,369,14381%
Elmwood ParkBergen$8,475,495$3,736,92879%
RockleighBergen$35,001$15,27177%
Atlantic Co VocationalAtlantic$8,687,418$3,747,02076%
Hasbrouck Heights BoroBergen$2,491,320$1,010,23568%
Monroe TwpMiddlesex$5,291,700$2,001,23161%
Fair Lawn BoroBergen$6,351,196$2,387,61760%
Kenilworth BoroUnion$4,062,326$1,513,29159%
Ridgefield Park TwpBergen$9,412,261$3,453,40458%
Waldwick BoroBergen$1,505,806$548,89257%
Red Bank BoroMonmouth$5,537,219$1,967,16355%
Boonton TownMorris$1,956,983$693,03855%
Manville BoroSomerset$9,335,032$3,280,64754%
Harding TownshipMorris$408,957$136,83950%
North Arlington BoroBergen$3,276,493$1,088,79950%
Saddle River BoroBergen$364,260$118,13048%
Union County VocationalUnion$9,453,475$3,049,16048%
Secaucus TownHudson$1,642,573$511,89945%
Fairview BoroBergen$12,625,278$3,934,53745%
West Orange TownEssex$12,293,832$3,742,77944%
North Caldwell BoroEssex$401,829$121,87144%
Bound Brook BoroSomerset$13,281,208$3,965,77243%
Ridgewood VillageBergen$3,477,429$1,023,66442%
Livingston TwpEssex$4,137,165$1,213,34442%
Hanover ParkMorris$1,354,763$395,88841%
Springfield TwpUnion$1,465,778$425,47041%
Closter BoroBergen$693,682$200,59341%
Rumson BoroMonmouth$607,623$174,04840%
HaddonfieldCamden$1,506,627$430,62940%
Rumson-Fair HavenMonmouth$698,899$198,64840%
Caldwell-W. CaldwellEssex$1,644,641$466,31440%
Millburn TwpEssex$3,171,659$884,07139%
Little Silver BoroMonmouth$492,709$134,85538%
Wallington BoroBergen$4,949,440$1,344,04137%
New Providence BoroUnion$1,445,115$388,30037%
Tenafly BoroBergen$2,190,766$587,11837%
Woodland ParkPassaic$1,429,068$367,79935%
Merchantville BoroCamden$2,598,310$669,68035%
Madison BoroMorris$1,523,524$391,09435%
Mountainside BoroUnion$763,171$193,58734%
Allendale BoroBergen$509,385$127,00433%
Clinton TownHunterdon$281,025$69,77633%
Fairfield TwpEssex$452,740$108,66532%
River Dell RegionalBergen$990,197$236,33331%
Watchung HillsSomerset$1,449,867$344,81731%
Montville TwpMorris$2,726,670$643,43231%
Guttenberg TownHudson$7,566,110$1,781,56431%
Somerset HillsSomerset$1,299,065$304,27431%
Cumberland Co VocationalCumberland$5,275,456$1,226,26330%
Ramapo-Indian HillBergen$1,824,745$421,17330%
P Pleasant BeachOcean$5,022$1,15430%
Dunellen BoroMiddlesex$7,638,769$1,748,42230%
Freehold BoroMonmouth$13,862,567$3,162,75530%
Totowa BoroPassaic$658,566$148,33729%
Glen Ridge BoroEssex$1,104,993$248,58529%
North Brunswick TwpMiddlesex$18,852,249$4,231,06029%
River Vale TwpBergen$679,804$152,12129%
Hackensack CityBergen$19,221,282$4,248,63328%
Verona BoroEssex$1,287,737$283,97128%
Passaic Co ManchesterPassaic$7,425,582$1,629,77328%
Edison TwpMiddlesex$19,766,625$4,274,60128%
Summit CityUnion$2,315,064$499,16328%
Hawthorne BoroPassaic$3,036,150$634,21426%
Cliffside Park BoroBergen$4,941,897$1,032,03526%
Cresskill BoroBergen$1,047,524$214,63326%
Milltown BoroMiddlesex$1,482,795$296,20525%

 

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