Schools

Essex County School Districts to Receive $1 Billion in State Aid

Every district in New Jersey will see aid increase under Gov. Christie's budget proposal.

Lia Eustachewich, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
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Essex County school districts are slated to receive $1,106,005,181 in state aid, the most in New Jersey for 2011-2012 under Gov. Chris Christie's budget proposal.

Christie promised in his budget address Tuesday every district in the state would see an aid increase—part of a $250 million boost to education aid overall. The Bloomfield school district will see a $790,428 overall increase in state aid for 2011-12, while in Essex County alone, schools will see an overall increase of more than $21 million.

Last year, the governor sharply reduced aid to schools, including several in Essex County. Some saw their state aid eliminated entirely. At the time, many districts had been making plans for their budgets based on suggestions of more modest cuts by the state Department of Education.

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"I agonized over making cuts to education aid last year," the governor said in his budget address. "They were the very last cuts I approved. It was not a decision I took lightly. It was not something I wanted to do. However, in a year where shared sacrifice was required from everyone, it was a necessary choice."

But he said hard decisions made over the last year allowed for some increase this year. Many districts will still receive less than they did prior to 2010-2011, however.

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In proposals tied to his budget, the governor is also pushing for reform to tenure, and for public employees to take on much of the cost associated with their benefits. He's also pushing for associated pension reforms. 

"The need for reform, of course, is more urgent than ever. ... We need to reward excellent teachers, put an end to automatic tenure, and give parents trapped in failing schools a choice for a better future for their children. Once and for all, we must reward excellence and there must be consequences for failure. This is the way it is all across America – we must finally bring it to all of New Jersey’s classrooms," Christie said.

The proposed state aid for Essex County schools is as follows:

DISTRICT 2010-2011 TOTAL AID SPECIAL EDUCATION AID

2011-2012 TOTAL AID

TOTAL CHANGE BELLEVILLE TOWN 22,606,213 2,647,333 23,184,941 578,728 BLOOMFIELD TWP 17,295,146 3,399,238 18,085,574 790,428 CALDWELL-WEST CALDWELL 0 385,304 385,304 385,304 CEDAR GROVE TWP 62,853 307,112 307,112 244,259 EAST ORANGE 169,391,625 5,772,439 171,439,168 2,047,543 ESSEX CO VOC-TECH 18,735,148 1,186,600 19,128,405 393,257 ESSEX FELLS BORO 0 38,962 38,962 38,962 FAIRFIELD TWP 13,001 118,074 118,074 105,073 GLEN RIDGE BORO 0 268,047 268,047 268,047 IRVINGTON TOWNSHIP 106,416,768 3,963,167 107,763,900 1,347,132 LIVINGSTON TWP 0 917,527 917,527 917,527 MILLBURN TWP 0 764,617 764,617 764,617 MONTCLAIR TOWN 3,549,764 3,916,173 4,648,780 1,099,016 NEWARK CITY 672,565,847 25,737,088 681,061,011 8,495,164 NORTH CALDWELL BORO 0 74,655 103,827 103,827 NUTLEY TOWN 5,204,183 2,243,967 5,743,568 539,385 CITY OF ORANGE TWP 63,369,306 2,643,417 64,149,442 780,136 ROSELAND BORO 63,368 138,740 138,740 75,372 SOUTH ORANGE-MAPLEWOOD 1,189,380 2,250,169 2,250,169 1,060,789 VERONA BORO 70,811 345,983 345,983 275,172 WEST ESSEX REGIONAL 178,991 480,461 480,461 301,470 WEST ORANGE TOWN 3,469,601 3,892,676 4,681,569 1,211,968

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