Brick Mayor Ducey Urges Murphy To Veto Sweeney School Aid Bill

BRICK, NJ — As the state budget deadline creeps nearer and the fight in Trenton becomes more heated, Brick Township Mayor John G. Ducey is urging Gov. Phil Murphy to veto a bill that would slash state aid from more than 100 districts, including Brick Township.

Under the bill, introduced by Senate President Stephen Sweeney and passed by both houses of the New Jersey Legislature last week, Brick Township Schools would lose about $22.5 million in adjustment aid. Sweeney claims the school districts receiving the money are being overfunded.

Opponents, including Brick school officials, say the state's school funding formula is severely flawed. Sen. Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Dave Wolfe and Greg McGuckin, who represent Brick as part of the 10th District, have urged Murphy to veto the bill as well. (READ MORE: School Aid Fight: Brick To Lose $22M Under Sweeney Plan)

“This bill is an affront to our community, our schools and our taxpayers," Ducey said. "Eliminating aid from our schools will have a severe impact on Brick Township in terms of higher taxes and poorer education for our schoolchildren."

Senate Bill 2, will eliminate adjustment aid from the Brick Township public schools over the next seven years. That money would then be redistributed to districts that are said to be underfunded.

Brick Township is still dealing with the financial impact of Superstorm Sandy.

"Our ratable base is still down over $309 million from before the storm, which is still impacting the taxpayers of our town. To add this to their burden is quite frankly unacceptable," Ducey said.

The increases caused by this bill will hit older residents particularly hard. According to the last census, here in Brick Township there are 18,067 residents ages 60 and over – nearly 25% of the entire community.

"A significant number of our older residents are retired or are on fixed incomes. The massive school tax increases that will be caused by this legislation will have a severe impact on their quality of life," he said.

Ducey, in a news release, encouraged residents to share their views on this legislation with Governor Murphy by calling the Governor’s Office or reaching out via social media including Facebook and Twitter.

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