Brick Joins 70 Districts At Support Our Students Trenton Rally

TRENTON, NJ — Two years ago, when massive cuts to the Brick Township School District's state aid were first in the offing, district administrators joined Toms River school officials to protest the cuts and draw attention to the districts' plight.

At that time, the plan to cut so-called adjustment aid was still just a proposal. But then-Interim Superintendent Thomas Gialanella and Business Administrator James Edwards were clear that the proposal would have a devastating effect if it went through.

Now, two years later, with S2 signed into law and those cuts pushed by state Sen. President Stephen Sweeney becoming a reality, Brick schools loaded up buses and again joined with Toms River (that distrist sent 27 buses) and dozens of school districts across the state in taking their pleas to the steps of the Statehouse. Their plea: fair funding for all students in New Jersey.

Brick is among 71 districts in the Support Our Students coalition that are seeing significant cutbacks in aid under S2. The law, first proposed by Sweeney in 2017 and then approved and signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2018, is cutting the "adjustment aid" to districts that have been deemed "overfunded" under the law.

Sweeney has demanded the aid cuts to some districts to funnel money to sorely underfunded districts, saying those that are "overfunded" are not paying their fair share of property taxes to support their schools. The fight over the funding played a role in the state shutdown in July 2017 that became infamous for then-Gov. Chris Christie's photo on the beach at Island Beach State Park.

Sweeney has claimed districts like Brick, which stands to lose more than $44 million cumulatively over the six years and $2.4 million for 2019-2020 alone, were spending money on iPads when other districts were forced to have students share textbooks.

"I get offended when I hear these districts talk about 'it’s unfair,' " Sweeney said in an interview with NJ Spotlight in mid-February. "What was unfair was when they were overfunded for the last nine years and they're buying iPads for all their kids and other school districts are sharing books."

Brick students receive Chromebooks, but that is in part due to the state's requirement to administer PARCC testing throughout the district. The controversial assessment tests are computer-based, and districts across New Jersey were required to purchase computers for the testing. Brick does not have iPads for every student in the district, despite Sweeney's comments.

The pending cut for the 2019-2020 budget will mean the elimination of staff positions, though Superintendent Gerald Dalton and Board President Stephanie Wohlrab have not given specifics for the school year. Over the six years, the district says the aid cuts will likely force it to cut 290 positions and many other program cuts, including to extracurricular activities and sports.

Dalton said one of the big issues in Brick that has been overlooked by those screaming the district is overfunded is special education costs. Brick has been targeted because its enrollment has decreased; Dalton said that while enrollment overall has decreased, its population of students needing extra services, from special-needs students to English language learners, has risen significantly. And at the district's highest enrollment, of more than 10,000 students, class sizes exceeded 30 students.

The cuts, Edwards has said, amount to Brick being punished for being fiscally responsible for years: Brick's per-student spending is among the lowest 22 percent among more than 100 districts in the state in its size category, and Brick spends well below the state average per pupil.

Those figures put Brick into the "under adequacy" category, meaning it is spending less per pupil than the state Department of Education says it should be spending. Districts under adequacy are required to increase their property tax levy by the full 2 percent cap amount to make up for lost aid, as one of the provisions of S2. The district is more than $11 million under adequacy, Edwards has said.

Murphy gave his 2019-2020 budget presentation Tuesday afternoon, and what will be done about the pending cuts remains uncertain.

In addition to the rally, Brick initiated a lawsuit against the state Department of Education over the funding distribution. That lawsuit, which now includes nine districts, is moving forward; state Administrative Law Judge Ellen S. Bass on Feb. 20 granted a motion to expedite hearings on the lawsuit, and dates have been scheduled for May 6 and May 20, according to Brick Township school district officials.

Leaders of the effort say it's not about taking money back from the underfunded districts; it's about ensuring equity for all districts.

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