Ed Trzaska, Montgomery
Constantly rising school taxes are a problem across Somerset County and the entire state. Surprisingly, though, few people know much about the biggest factor driving those taxes up — our states’ deeply flawed school aid funding formula.
Under the current system, the state spends $9.1 billion each year on aid to K-12 schools, with $5.1 billion of it going to just 31 mostly urban school districts (formerly designated as Abbott districts), while the remaining $4 billion is split between the remaining 546 districts, including Montgomery. Yes, you read that correctly. Under the current system, 5 percent of districts get 58 percent of the aid. To put that in even more stark terms, towns like Asbury Park receive $28,884.76 per pupil in state aid, while Montgomery students receive just $857.81.
Last year, newly elected State Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker ran on a campaign where he pledged to address problems based on facts and evidence, and then offer solutions. If this ridiculously unequal distribution of aid isn’t bad enough, taxpayers have spent $97 billion over 30 years on just these 31 districts and no consistent educational improvements have been achieved. Based on the evidence, isn’t it time to try something different?
That’s why I am curious to hear Assemblyman Zwicker’s thoughts on a new proposal in Trenton that would see each student in the state receive the same amount in per-pupil state aid. Under that new proposal Montgomery students would see a roughly $4,800 increase in aid per pupil (with additional funding built in for special education students), and most importantly, local taxpayers would have their property taxes reduced by thousands of dollars.
Assemblyman Zwicker does not represent any urban or Abbott school districts. He decided to run for election to represent suburban towns like Montgomery, Hillsborough, Raritan, Readington, and South Brunswick. All of which are in desperate need of school aid reform. Now is his moment of truth. Does he side with his constituents or does he become beholden to Speaker Vincent Prieto and the special interests that dominate the Democratic Assembly caucus and funded his campaign?
Montgomery taxpayers are watching and look forward to hearing soon whether he supports or opposes this new plan, and why.
Ed Trzaska
Deputy Mayor, Montgomery Township
