South Brunswick Schools In The Process Of Applying For Stabilization Aid

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — During their last meeting, the South Brunswick Board of Education approved the administration's request to apply for stabilization aid from New Jersey.

According to Superintendent Scott Feder, school administrators require the approval of the BOE before applying for aid.

With the district experiencing a reduction in state aid this school year, South Brunswick School District “confronts a structural budgetary imbalance,” according to the agenda. The aid will help the district manage some of this imbalance.

The application needs to be submitted before Oct. 6.

In January this year, the state gave South Brunswick schools $2,890,780 to make up for budget shortfalls and reduced state aid.

“We're going to go ahead and fill it out, because there could be money on the table, and we don't want to leave any money. We fill out every application there is,” Feder told the BOE and community.

For the 2023-24 school year, South Brunswick is using $4 million of stabilization aid from the budget. However, this money “is not real” and would “disappear” at the year, the Superintendent explained.

“The money is not sustainable. That money will not be here next year. Remember, we started the year minus $4 million. So, we don't know what the stabilization is going to be, we don't know we're going to get anything,” Feder explained.

However, what the district does know is that there is money on the table which it hopes to get through the aid application.

“Hopefully, the stabilization aid will give us a lot more money so that we can offset the minus $4 million we start with next year.”

Administrators will be meeting with the finance committee to go over the specifics, and then an explanation will be made to the BOE and the community.

Have a correction or a news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com