Drastic Difference In Haddonfield, Haddon Schools State Aid

The Haddonfield Public School District will see an increase of nearly 40 percent in state aid, while the Haddon Township Public School District may be forced to raise taxes to make up for a decrease in funding from last year, according to revised figures released by the state last week.

The new numbers show Haddon Township would receive $8,198,876 in state aid, a reduction of $248,743 (2.95 percent) from last year, when it received $8,447,619 from the state. Originally, Gov. Phil Murphy said the district would receive $8,558,503 in state aid.

Meanwhile, Haddonfield sees an increase of $430,525 (39.39 percent) over its 2017-18 aid. Haddonfield can expect to receive $1,508,822, after seeing $1,078,297 in state aid last year. It is still less than what Murphy initially said, when he said the district could expect to see $1,190,808 during his original budget message.

The Murphy administration says the new figures take significant steps to begin the process of fully and fairly funding New Jersey school districts, saying that $8.5 billion will be disbursed to the state's school districts, including an additional $68 million to bring aid in balance for underfunded districts.

“A stronger, fairer New Jersey means making sure that New Jersey's schools are receiving the funds they need to advance academic excellence for our students,” Murphy said. “After years of neglect, we are turning the page to bring a balanced approach to school aid by removing the growth cap on funding increases and finally beginning the process of fully implementing the state's school funding formula established in 2008.”

See related: Winning And Losing NJ School Districts In Budget Deal

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