Local, Regional Schools Expect to Get More Money from State

The Gloucester Township and Black Horse Pike Regional school districts are slated to receive more money from the state next year than they did for the current school year.

"I'm pleased to report to you that state aid figures were released today, and we did receive an increase in state aid. So, notwithstanding the federal cuts, if we do get those reductions, I think the increase in state aid might mitigate those," GTPS interim Superintendent John Bilodeau said Thursday evening.

Bilodeau was of course referring to the highly publicized federal sequester set to take effect at 11:59 p.m. tonight (March 1) should Congress fail to reach a compromise. New Jersey would receive about $28 million less for education from the federal government under sequestration.

State aid offsets the amount of money raised by taxation within school districts.

Under Gov. Christie's budget proposal, Gloucester Township Public Schools would receive $50,719,029 in state aid in support of its 2013-14 budget. That's a 1.6 percent increase over the $49,921,110 it received for 2012-13.

Black Horse Pike Regional School District would receive $33,302,667 under the budget proposal. That represents a 1.7 percent increase over the $32,734,689 the district received in support of Highland, Timber Creek and Triton high schools for 2012-13.

“Throughout my time in office I have continuously argued that in order to grow New Jersey’s economy we must invest in education, and my proposed budget is a reflection of my commitment to our educational system and communities across the state,” Christie said in a statement. “However, even as we continue to fund education at the highest levels in state history, we must remain willing to reflect on how we are spending our money and work towards solutions that make every dollar we invest count.”

Eight Camden County school districts are not slated to receive a bump in state aid from 2012-13 to 2013-14, and Pennsauken's increase is only $1.

Without action from Congress, the sequester would go into effect automatically at 11:59 p.m. tonight (March 1), reducing spending by New Jersey in a number of areas, including education, the environment, health, military and law enforcement, the White House said.