Christie Adds School Aid for Property Tax Relief

New Jersey school districts yesterday finally learned more of the details about the extra state aid they will receive under Gov. Chris Christie’s final budget. But there's a twist: the administration wants most of them to use the money for property tax relief.

There still appeared to be some questions as to what actually will be required, if anything. But the governor's office said late in the day that suburban districts receiving extra aid would be "strongly" encouraged to apply the added aid to property tax relief and not necessarily to restoring cut programs.

“The additional education aid included in this year’s budget is an opportunity to reduce property tax burdens by lowering local property tax levies for this fiscal year or the next and move closer toward real reform in our schools," said Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts in a statement.

“The administration strongly encourages using this additional aid to lower taxes and make the important step toward new and effective management of our schools that focuses on improving student achievement, rather than increased spending.”

Ironically, the bulk of the additional $850 million in state aid was not going to tax relief. That's because it's headed to the state’s highest-poverty districts, per order of the state Supreme Court’s recent Abbott v. Burke ruling.

Roberts said in his statement that the $447 million in Abbott funding -- in some cases tens of millions of dollars for a single district -- "should be directed strategically toward areas of education as determined by each respective district."

Continue reading this story in NJ Spotlight, For Administration, School Aid Equals Property Tax Relief, orginally posted July 13, 2011.