State Aid Cut: How Community Advocacy Can Help South Brunswick Schools

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ – On Thursday, the South Brunswick School District will be presenting a tentative budget for the upcoming year, in light of the massive state aid cut.

South Brunswick stands to lose $4,063,240 in aid during the 2023-24 school year after Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration proposed its fiscal year 2024 budget. More: South Brunswick Schools To Lose $4M In State Aid In 2023-24

During the last Board of Education, meeting Superintendent Scott Feder made a presentation highlighting the impacts of the aid cut and offered solutions to tackle the “budget crisis.”

Here are some steps the school district plans to take.

ADVOCACY

One of the best ways to help would be to advocate for the school district, officials said. To this end, Feder will be testifying at the State Senate on March 27. He noted that community advocacy helped with retaining school-based youth services last year.

More:

• Schools Could Lose Mental Health Center Funding In South Brunswick
• South Brunswick Schools Challenges State Cut To Mental Health Programs
• Plans To Cut School Mental Health Program In South Brunswick Halted

Feder said the school district approached the County for support and officials are more than willing to help.

Community members have been encouraged to write or call lawmakers.

Feder recently shared a letter with the community which contained a template residents can use to write to lawmakers as well as numbers they can call. Click here for the letter template and phone number.

“People have to hear what’s happening. I’m under the assumption our legislation cares,” Feder said. “But I’m also under the assumption that they don’t really understand what’s happening.”

Sen. Andrew Zwicker, a South Brunswick resident, spoke to the community during the meeting saying he would help the district on its path to gain the much-needed funds.

He noted that advocacy was very important to help the district.

Zwicker, who is a member of the Senate Budget Committee, said he has talked with Murphy, his senior staff and the chairs of the budget committee.

“We have to advocate and we have to advocate quickly. Because the state deadline for coming up with a budget is June 30. And that’s too late,” Zwicker said. “So we’ve got to move much faster.”

If the school district needs to make important decisions by May, then the community needs to ensure lawmakers make their decision on funds before that, Zwicker said.

“You cannot balance a budget on a hope and a prayer. You can only balance a budget on dollars and cents,” he said.

RAISING REVENUES

To increase revenue, the school district is looking into investment income and how it can be increased.

Cost increases could be seen in the areas of pay-to-play, facility rentals, shared services with the township, food services, and summer institute among other programs.

“Everything that you normally do for a school that should be free, and will be free in every town in Middlesex County, we’re going to be charged through the nose for here,” Feder said.

The district is also discussing donations from graduates and alumni, however, Feder said the amount might not be enough.

SBSD could also approach the town for funds through the “second question” which residents would decide through a vote. “We’re currently working with the County on how to even go to ask for money from our taxpayers,” Feder said.

But the situation could be tricky if put to a vote and residents decide against it, Feder said. If the question is posed to voters, it would happen only in November and the district needs to make decisions by May.

HYBRID APPROACH

The school district will opt for the hybrid approach which includes a little bit of everything —cutting, raising revenues, optimization and using other resources.

“Our recommendation to the Board of Education and this community is ‘we need to do it all.’ We are going to present by the end of April a budget that is balanced and that has all features to it,” Feder said.

CLEARING THE AIR ON PRESCHOOL EXPANSION AID

With some misinformation spreading in the community, Feder clarified that the preschool aid received by the district cannot be used for any other purpose but for preschool.

“Prior to the aid being awarded to SBSD, we had mandatory preschool obligations that were costing the district $700,000 a year. These funds have now been placed back in the K-5 budget, but would need to return to the mandatory preschool requirements we have always had, should the preschool funding disappears, or if we did not accept it,” Feder said in his letter.

The preschool program in South Brunswick is completely funded by the state and if the state stops paying the program would end.

Feder urged the community to stay informed about the matter and attend the Thursday BOE meeting, where the district will adopt a tentative budget for the 2023-2024 school year. Click here for meeting info and agenda.

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