Christie's School Funding Proposal Would Benefit Stafford, Southern Regional School Districts

Governor Chris Christie made waves Tuesday when he unveiled a proposed funding formula change for New Jersey’s schools that would equalize spending for each student in the state.

The move would mean potentially lower property tax bills for residents in high-cost areas, but an enormous funding loss in poorer, urban areas known as Abbott districts.

Christie’s plan would equalize spending to a level of $6,599 per student in the state. That figure came from the $9.1 billion spent by the state this year divided by each enrolled student in grades kindergarten through 12.

The governor's office Tuesday issued a statement blaming the state’s “Abbott” districts – 31 school districts in court-classified “poorer urban” areas – for taking up so much of the state’s taxpayer money and funding aid.

New Jersey Education Association officials assailed Christie’s plan, calling it despicable and claiming it would set the state’s education progress back decades.

Nj.com compiled a list of data showing the current per-pupil aid by district versus what that figure would be under Christie’s plan. In the Southern Regional school district in Stafford Township, state aid figures would balloon from $692 per student to $5,807, an increase of 838 percent, according to the analysis.

State aid in the Stafford Township school district would increase an additional $2,190 from the current $4,309 per pupil, an increase of 51 percent.

But in nearby Barnegat, which already spends $6,401 per pupil, the additional aid per student would only add up to $98, a 2 percent increase.

According to nj.com, which compiled a list of data showing the current per-pupil aid by district versus what that figure would be under Christie’s plan,

A look at the data shows students in the Abbott districts stand to lose millions under the proposed plan. Camden would see a $23,634.77 loss per student, followed by Asbury Park, where funding would decrease $22,384.78 for each pupil.

See nj.com's full list of state districts here.