Barnegat Schools to Get Additional State Aid

Barnegat schools will receive an additional $467,533 in state aid this year, part of a state-wide increase in education spending announced yesterday by Governor Chris Christie.

The 's share of the $600 million bump to school budgets doubles the aid increase the district was originally slated to receive for the 2011-2012 school year.

In , the state Department of Education said that Barnegat schools would receive $467,534 more in state money than it did in 2010-2011 as part of a $250 million aid increase to districts around New Jersey.

Tuesday's announcement of an additional $467,533 will bring the total amount of aid for the 2011-12 school year to $19,697,121, up from the originally expected $19,229,588. That means state aid for the coming school year is almost $1 million more than 2010-2011's $18,762,054.

“Now is the time to complement the dollars spent with real education reform to bring a focus on student learning, accountability and results,” Christie said in a statement.

Yesterday's announcement brings the total increase in aid promised to New Jersey districts for the coming school year to $850 million, up from a $250 million increase promised in February. Christie said that the increase restores "every dollar" of the cuts the state made last year and increases aid by an additional $30 million.

Out of the $600 million boost announced yesterday, $450 million will go to Abbott districts and $150 million to non-Abbott districts, Christie said.

Despite the originally promised increase of nearly half a million dollars in aid earlier this year, Barnegat was essentially facing a zero-dollar increase in financial support from the state, because of big debt service fees on state loans used for school construction in recent years.

In February, Barnegat Board of Education President Lisa Becker said the loans were tauted as "free money" from the state for years. Then, in the 2009-2010 school year, the district was assessed an $800,000 interest charge. Added to drastic decreases in state aid that year, the costs were financially devastating and the district had to make deep cuts, laying off 65 employees.

Barnegat's state aid numbers: