State: Projected Aid for Barnegat Schools up $467,534 for 2012

The long-awaited 2012 state aid numbers that will determine the scope of school district budgets statewide have been released by the Department of Education, showing Barnegat schools will receive $467,534 more in state funding than they did in 2011.

In his , Christie announced his plan to increase funding for districts by $250 million in 2012, welcome news to districts fearing the trend of big cuts would continue.

Ocean County districts will receive about 5 percent of that increased aid, according to the data released today.

But Barnegat Board of Education President Lisa Becker said the increase in aid to the district is countered by big debt service fees for state loans used for school construction in recent years. 

She said the loans were tauted as "free money" from the state for years, but last year, the district was assessed an $800,000 interest charge. On top of cuts in aid, the costs were financially devastating and the district had to make deep cuts, laying off 65 employees.

This year, the approximate 1 percent increase in aid for the district is likely to be equal or less than the amount Barnegat schools owe in interest on those same loans, Becker said. 

"But we were well prepared going into this," she said. "We should have absolutely no tax consequences for the public."

Becker said more details would be available Thursday afternoon, once the board's budget committee meets to go over all the state aid details.

"Last year, our state faced severe fiscal challenges, and we had to make some very difficult choices,"  Christie said in a prepared release Wednesday evening. "Reductions to education funding were among the most agonizing of those choices. Because of the foundation we set in last year's budget, and our responsible management of the state's finances, New Jersey is on firmer footing and we are able to put more funding into classrooms throughout New Jersey.

However, more money on its own will not fix our education system. We must continue to vigorously pursue education reforms to fundamentally change public education, focused on achieving results for children, rewarding excellence in the classroom and demanding accountability throughout the system."

Keep reading tomorrow for more details and input from local district officials.