The North Brunswick school district is asking residents to contact state legislators to remind them that the town has earned its fair share of school funding, despite North Brunswick schools being significantly underfunded according the Department of Education’s aid formula.
According to a posting on the district’s website, under the guidelines of the current funding formula, North Brunswick should receive approximately $34 million in state aid, but only about $13 million is received. This lack of funding means that taxpayers are responsible for the remaining $21 million. North Brunswick receives only about 37 percent of the needed amount and about $2,000 per pupil in state aid.
According to Superintendent of Schools Brian Zychowski, North Brunswick’s funding has been flat for the past five years. The population of North Brunswick Township is evolving so that there are now increases in special education and economically disadvantaged students. For example, about 33 percent of the district’s students qualify to receive free or reduced lunch. Special education and economically disadvantaged students are No Child Left Behind subgroups that should receive greater funding based on the state formula. Districts with considerably fewer economically disadvantaged students receive much more per pupil state aid while North Brunswick does not receive its fair share of state aid, he explained.
“We have the student population that the state has identified requires more funding; however, we’re not receiving our fair share,” he said.
Zychowski said this is due in large part to a new proposed funding formula that the state cannot fully fund because it does not have the money. Nevertheless, Zychowski is advocating a more equitable implementation of the funding formula.
North Brunswick, Edison, Woodbridge, and Piscataway have formed a coalition; they are the only districts in Middlesex County that receive less than 50 percent of the funding they are scheduled to receive. There have been meetings with all four superintendents, business administrators and school boards, as well as a December meeting in Woodbridge with legislators and mayors to discuss problems and solutions, a meeting with acting Education Commissioner Bret Schundler, and meetings with various community groups.
“We are aware that New Jersey is in the midst of a terrible economic cycle, but our districts are being shortchanged,” Zychowski said.
Zychowski said the four school districts collaborated to offer two solutions regarding the state aid crisis: either every school district across the state should receive the same percentage of funding relative to the funding formula, i.e., if the state can only fund 87 percent of its state aid obligation, then every district should receive 87 percent of appropriate funding based on the state’s funding formula, or those districts that cut costs and spending should receive more funding to compensate for their efficiency.
“If districts are maintaining, cutting, examining costs, and are reducing spending relative to the adequacy formula of the funding formula, they should receive more of the limited amount of funding. We have saved our taxpayers money measured by the state formula,” he said. “Schools should be rewarded for cutting costs and lowering the impact on taxpayers.”
Since taxpayers, students and families of North Brunswick should receive their fair share of aid that the state has promised, residents are asked to contact state representatives to make them aware of the severe lack of funding and the unfair application of the current state education funding formula, according to the posting.
“Our legislators get elected to represent this area and are obligated to support schools with adequate and appropriate funding” Zychowski said.
To contact state Sen. Bob Smith, call 732-752-0770 or write to him at 216 Stelton Road, Suite E-5, Piscataway 08854.
To contact Assemblyman Joseph V. Egan, call 732-249-4550 or write to him at 100 Bayard St., New Brunswick 08901.
To contact Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula, call 732-247-3999 or write to him at 888 Easton Ave., Somerset 08873.
Contact Jennifer Amato at [email protected].