RED BANK: SCHOOLS EYE “DEVASTATING” STATE AID CUTS

The Red Bank Borough Board of Education offices on Branch Avenue. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By BRIAN DONOHUE

Red Bank could face hefty cuts to school programs and staff under a nearly 20 percent reduction in state aid announced last week, schools Superintendent Jared Rumage said Monday.

Red Bank Borough Schools Superintendent Jared Rumage and State Senator Vin Gopal, below. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

The proposed $1.7 million cut came as New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy touted full funding of the state school funding formula, designed to provide equitable funding for poorer districts, for the first time since it was put in effect in 2018.

But as hundreds of districts across the state celebrate a windfall of state aid, Red Bank finds itself  an outlier: a district where 73 percent of the students are economically disadvantaged being penalized by a formula designed to help those very same kids. 

Rumage called the possible cut in state aid “devastating.”

“We were excited when we heard the governor and his administration were pumping $908 million of additional funding to support New Jersey schools,” Rumage said. “That was fantastic, and a great job on his part, but unfortunately the formula just completely failed us.”

After being shortchanged by the state for years, the district began receiving levels of state aid closer to full funding in recent years. 

“We were just on the road to recovery,’’ Rumage said. “We’re an outlier. I’m hopeful somebody will see that and rectify it.”

State Senator Vin Gopal, whose district includes Red Bank, said he hopes lawmakers can restore funding before the July 1 budget deadline, possibly through a separate bill that would boost aid to districts where aid was cut by the formula. 

“We fully intend to return the budget with cuts restored, similar to last year,’’ he said. “We gotta correct this.”

Gopal said the cuts to Red Bank schools – and similar large cuts in aid going to other poorer districts in Monmouth County, including Long Branch, Neptune and Asbury Park – show the formula completely backfiring. 

Schools with wealthier populations, including Middletown and Colts Neck, saw large increases, he noted.  He said he is asking the Commissioner of the Department of Education for a “dollar by dollar” explanation.

“I’m waiting for that answer,” he said. “The fact that the poorest communities in Monmouth County… all took the biggest hits is beyond discouraging, and I think it’s up to the DOE right now to provide some clear transparency.”

One reason behind the cuts may be skyrocketing property values in places like Red Bank. 

Under the state’s complicated school funding formula, as property values rise, the amount taxpayers are expected to contribute rises also.  

Jeffrey Bennett, a longtime education aid activist and blogger, said Red Bank appears to be a victim of how real estate values skew aid levels in ways that don’t reflect the needs of local schools.

He also noted the Red Bank borough schools have seen enrollment numbers dropping in recent years, which could affect the amount of money the state sends the district.

Rumage, however, said the current enrollment of 1,247 students is only a ten-student decrease from last year. 

Even raising taxes to cover the gap  is not an option he said.

While the state funding formula requires Red Bank taxpayers to pay their “fair share” of $24 million for schools, Rumage said the state property tax cap law limits that figure to a maximum of $19.6 million. Some state legislators have proposed lifting the two-percent cap for districts hurt by the formula.

“The last thing we want to do is raise the taxes,” Rumage said. “And the bottom line is we can’t.”

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