CENTRAL JERSEY: Three districts to get large aid increases

By John Tredrea, Special Writer
   The Lambertville, Stockton and South Hunterdon Regional school districts are expected to get large increases in state aid this year, according to figures released last week by the state Department of Education.
   The West Amwell Elementary district, however, is expected to get less than the other three — a 2.5 percent increase. For 2012-13, the projected aid is $231,044, $5,714 more than in 2011-12.
   The Lambertville Public School district is counting on $307,588 in total state aid in 2012-13, which is $115,580 more than the district received in 2011-12. That’s a 60.2 percent increase.
   Unlike municipal, county and state governments, the fiscal year of school districts in New Jersey runs from July 1 to June 30.
   The Stockton Public School district is slated to receive $200,262 in state aid in 2012-13, up $83,074 from 2011-12, a 70.9 percent increase.
   The South Hunterdon Regional High School District, which serves students in grades seven to 12, is expected to get $1,240,073 in state aid in 2012-13, up $527,204 over last year — a 74 percent increase.
   The Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell districts include only kindergarten to sixth-grade students. Students from those districts move to South Hunterdon Regional High School for grades seven to 12.
   Recently completed was a feasibility study on the topic of regionalization of the four districts into one PK-12 district.
   The Princeton firm, Porzio, Bromberg and Newman, which did the study, said combining the four districts into one regional district (for the towns of Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell) is the course that makes the most educational sense.
   However, the study also said the creation of one regional school district would bring only small financial savings to each of the communities involved.