How Would Christie's School Funding Plan Impact Manchester Taxpayers?

With reporting by Jason Koestenblatt (Patch Staff)

Manchester, NJ -- Governor Chris Christie made waves Tuesday when he unveiled a proposed funding formula change for New Jersey’s schools that would equalize spending for each student in the state.

In doing so, Christie said, it would mean potentially lower property tax bills for residents in high-cost areas, but it also would be an enormous funding loss in poorer, urban areas known as Abbott districts.

Christie’s plan would equalize spending to a level of $6,599 per student in the state. That figure came from the $9.1 billion spent by the state this year divided by each enrolled student in grades kindergarten through 12.

In a statement released by the governor’s office Tuesday, blame was laid on the state’s “Abbott” districts – 31 school districts in court-classified “poorer urban” areas – for taking up so much of the state’s taxpayer money and funding aid.

See related: Christie Unveils New School Funding Plan; NJEA Calls It ‘Despicable’

The New Jersey Education Association assailed Christie’s plan, calling it despicable and claiming it would set the state’s education progress back decades.

But what would the governor’s plan, if implemented, mean to each individual school district in the state?

For the Manchester Township School District, the impact would be dramatic: an increase of nearly 250 percent in the funding the district currently receives.

According to nj.com, which compiled a list of data showing the current per-pupil aid by district versus what that figure would be under Christie’s plan, the Toms River Regional district would receive a 50 percent increase in aid.

Manchester is receiving $1,874.18 in aid per pupil for the 2015-16 school year, because it is classified as a district with a greater ability to fund its schools, because of the township's senior citizen developments, with lots of homes but few children. It is a factor cited repeatedly recently in ongoing discussions about the future of the Heritage Minerals tract between Route 70 and Route 37, where Hovsons Inc. has approval through a federal lawsuit settlement to build 2,400 age-restricted homes on 1,000 acres of the property the developer has owned since 1984.

A redevelopment plan that was initially approved by the Township Council last week but then vetoed by Mayor Kenneth Palmer after talks with the state Department of Environmental Protection indicated the plan would face certain rejection from the state aimed to see if there was a better option, because, Palmer said, the 2,400 age-restricted homes would put Manchester schools in danger of receiving no school aid from the state.

If Christie's plan goes through, it would take those concerns off the table, and Manchester would receive an additional $4,625.82 per student -- amounting to roughly $13.7 million for the district's nearly 3,000 students.

A look at the data shows students in the Abbott districts stand to lose millions under the proposed plan. Camden would see a $23,634.77 loss per student, followed by Asbury Park, where funding would decrease $22,384.78 for each pupil.

That will likely result in a lengthy court battle if the Legislature goes along with Christie's plan.

See nj.com's full list of state districts here.

(Image via Shutterstock)