Lacey Taxes Less Per Student Than NJ Average

LACEY, NJ — The NJ Department of Education released a list of every district that details how much money taxpayers spend to send each child to a public school. Taxpayers for the Lacey Township School District pay below the state average per student.

Lacey school taxes average $15,189 per student, which ranks 383rd out of 650 listed districts in New Jersey. The statewide average for school spending per-pupil in 2017-2018 was $15,720, a 5 percent increase over two years.

These costs include: transportation, special revenues, pension and benefits paid by the state, facilities (including debt service), equipment, total food services, judgments against the school district and tuition/costs for students sent out of district (except payments to charter schools), according to state officials.

Here were the three priciest Ocean County schools per student:

• Beach Haven: $28,149 (seventh)
• Long Beach Island: $26,429 (10th)
• Lavallette Boro: $20,989 (38th)

The following were the three cheapest:

• Toms River Regional: $13,148 (561st)
• Point Pleasant Boro: $13,145 (544th)
• Berkeley Township: $13,880 (509th)

This report comes as several Ocean County schools are set to receive decreased state funding in the coming years. Lacey Township will receive $623,156 less from the state for the 2019-20 school year than it did in 2018-19. That brings Lacey's total state subsidy to $20,347,244 for next school year.

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