School District Receives More Than 20 Percent State Aid Increase

received good financial news for a change Thursday when the state released its education aid figures for the 2012-2013 year.

Fair Lawn School District will receive $3,269,797 in state aid for the coming year, which is nearly $600,000 more than the district received last year -- an increase of 21.5 percent.

, which when proposed in January had a $738,188 shortfall, estimated that state aid would remain stagnant at $2,690,607.

With the unanticipated aid increase, that shortfall shrinks by nearly 80 percent to $158,998, which should simplify the district's goal of keeping all personnel and existing programs, while also adding new positions next school year.

Superintendent Bruce Watson could not be reached for comment, but during the initial budget presentation in January, he said the district would seek to balance its budget using revenue-generating entrepreneurial solutions like and school bus advertising.