SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ – At a recent Board of Education meeting, State Senator Andrew Zwicker announced the state is planning to allocate $103 million in state aid to school districts that have lost funding, resulting in around $2.7 million for South Brunswick Schools. The district was set to lose $4 million in state aid for the upcoming school year. Zwicker has said that Governor Murphy will sign this legislation on Monday.
“Every single program that this school was proud of was potentially on the chopping blocks,” Zwicker said, “That’s not only true in South Brunswick but more than 150 school districts around the state woke up a few weeks ago to find out that the budget numbers they were expecting were not the numbers they were getting.”
Last month, Superintendent Scott Feder announced that South Brunswick Schools were set to lose $4 million in state aid for the 2023 – 2024 school year. The district had only been expected to lose $1.2 million for the upcoming year. This change was due to a shift in the state’s formula for state aid, according to a presentation Feder made to the board of education.
Since then, members of the school district, including Feder, Board President Lisa Rogers, and the teachers union, have testified multiple times before the state senate and assembly to advocate for more funding. The district also urged residents to contact their local lawmakers about the issue.
“The goal is to work this year to put a systemic long-term solution into place,” Zwicker said, “My kids may be gone out of this school district, but I am so glad to have [the board members] here.”
Feder also announced an additional Board of Education Meeting on May 4th, 2023, to discuss the budget for the 2024 – 2025 school year.