Middletown Schools See 6.8 Percent Drop In State Aid For 22-23

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — For the upcoming 2022-23 school year, the Middletown school district is slated to receive $13.5 million in state aid from the state Department of Education.

That is a 6.84 percent reduction compared to what the school district received this year: Middletown schools received $14.5 million in state aid for 21-22.

This is all according to the latest state aid figures released March 10 from the New Jersey Department of Education.

If you've been paying attention, it is not really news that Middletown gets reduced funding from Trenton every year.

Starting in 2018, state aid to Middletown schools has decreased annually, with the district getting less money year over year. Be the first to know; subscribe to Patch news alerts: https://patch.com/subscribe

The Middletown school district — like many other large, suburban school districts across the state — consistently receives less money from Trenton. This is due to a change in how the New Jersey school funding formula is decided, under an old deal worked out under former Senate President Steve Sweeney (D). (This past November, Sweeney was voted out of office, with voters choosing to replace him with Republican state Sen. Edward Durr.)

Middletown, in particular, suffers because student enrollment has been dropping over the years. In 2020, Middletown had to close Port Monmouth Elementary due to dwindling enrollment (the building may become a rec center), and redistricting is still on the table in Middletown.

Middletown superintendent Mary Ellen Walker previously said last March the district had a decrease in enrollment of approximately 325 students. The current enrollment figures are unknown. But the Middletown school district has shrunk over time, getting a little bit smaller in enrollment each year.

Critics have long said the funding formula hurts suburban school districts, while rewarding urban districts.

State aid is an influential factor in a district's decisions on raising local property taxes. Patch already reported two weeks ago on March 7 there may be a two percent property tax increase for Middletown homeowners for the 2022-23 school year budget.

The next Middletown school board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday night, March 22 at High School North. At this meeting, the board will specifically discuss next year's budget and the potential tax increase.

If the BOE approves that 2 percent property tax increase, it will bring in an additional $2.9 million for the district next year.

The budget has not been adopted or approved by the school board, so all of this is tentative. No tax increase has been finalized or approved. However, school business administrator Amy Gallagher did write the 22-23 budget with the 2 percent tax increase in place. She stressed that the 2022-23 budget is not finalized. It must be adopted by May 9. There will be a time for public comment Tuesday night or in April.

Prior: Middletown May See 2 Percent Property Tax Increase For Schools (March 7, 2022)

Middletown Schools Superintendent On State Aid Reduction (March 3, 2021)

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