Middletown Schools To Get 7 Percent Less Funding From Trenton

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Middletown schools will get seven percent less from Trenton 2021-22 school year, as Gov. Phil Murphy released the proposed state funding allotments for New Jersey school districts on Thursday.

Middletown schools will get $14.5 million next year from the state Department of Education. That's seven percent less than it received this year.

Which was less than Middletown schools received in 2019.

Which was less than what they got in 2018.

Middletown schools consistently receive less money from Trenton year over year due to a change in how the New Jersey school funding formula is decided. This was part of a deal worked out under Senate President Steve Sweeney (D) a few years ago.

Middletown Mayor Tony Perry already decried the cuts Thursday, saying on Facebook "Another year and another state budget where Middletown's School District continues to be gutted by politically motivated policies. Sadly, our students and teachers will once again lose more than $1.2 million, a total of more than $3.3 million in just the last three years. So while Middletown loses again, Newark gains an additional $85 million, bringing their total state aid to almost $1 billion."

How much money each New Jersey school district gets from Trenton every year is an influential factor when it comes to raising local property taxes. Many NJ towns blame DOE school funding cuts for why they have to raise property taxes, already the highest in the nation.

It's unclear how exactly the funding cut will affect Middletown schools.

Some NJ towns fared much worse than Middletown Thursday: Brick and Toms River saw double-digit decreases in funding. Both towns have already said they'll be forced to close schools, cut programs and lay off teachers because of continued state aid cuts. Under Murphy's new plan, Brick would have a cut of 19.09 percent, while Toms River would lose more than 14.08 percent.

Other districts saw double-digit increases, including Woodbridge Township (Woodbridge will get $63 million from the state DOE next year) and Atlantic City (getting $72 million).

Read more about Murphy's proposed school funding for 2021/22: 193 Districts May Face Cuts: 2021 NJ School Aid Figures

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