$2.6M Of State Aid Restored To Lacey School District Budget

LACEY, NJ — A nearly $4 million loss of state aid in the Lacey Township School District will be cut down to only $1.3 million under a new State Senate bill that's set to be voted on Monday.

The bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Vin Gopal and Sen. Andrew Zwicker, sets aside $102 million for districts that faced severe budget cuts under Gov. Phil Murphy's proposed 2023-24 budget.

The news comes after the district introduced their tentative budget that includes dozens of cuts and a redistricting of schools. Read more: 73 Would Lose Jobs Under Tentative Lacey School Budget

With the state aid cut less now, it is not immediately clear how this will impact the potential budget for the upcoming school year.

Under the bill, districts have to request in writing up to 66 percent of the difference between the aid they received for 2022-23 and the aid amounts proposed for 2023-24, according to a statement from Murphy's office.

"All eligible districts that submit a request to the Commissioner of Education will receive this additional funding, and must include a written plan indicating how they intend to fund operations in future years when this aid is no longer available," the statement said.

State Republicans also unveiled their own plan to fully fund schools, which they also say will lower property taxes around the state, in late February. This plan uses the state’s $6.5 billion surplus and requires local governments to lower property taxes dollar for dollar, GOP legislators said. Read more about that proposal here.

This story contains reporting by Patch’s Karen Wall and Michelle Rotuno-Johnson.