Toms River Parents' Petition: Give Back Our School Aid

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A group of Toms River residents have started a petition calling on Governor Phil Murphy and the state Legislature to rescind plans to strip more than $21 million in state aid from the Toms River Regional School District.

Bridget Maillard is urging parents, teachers and other members of the community to sign the petition on the Change.org website, to help bring more attention to the issue, which is the result of legislation pushed by Senate President Steven Sweeney and signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in July. That legislation, which provided some districts in the state with much-needed infusions of funds, also set in motion plans to strip so-called "adjustment aid" from a number of school districts across the state. Many districts, including Toms River, have protested the cuts because of the devastating impact they will have on their budgets.

The plan, which will phase in the cuts over seven years, will cumulatively cost the district more than $70 million, Superintendent David Healy said Wednesday night at the district's Board of Education meeting.

The district used surplus to fill a $2.3 milion cut in the 2018-19 budget that came in after the district's budget was approved by the state Department of Education. But at the July 24 meeting where the board approved using the surplus, Healy and Business Administrator William Doering said a $5 million reduction in state aid in the 2019-2020 budget would mean devastating cuts, including afterschool activities, junior varsity, freshman and middle school sports, courtesy busing and more.

It was information reiterated in a letter that went out to parents in the district, urging them to contact state legislators, Sweeney, Murphy and the acting commissioner of education, Lamont Repollet.

"Make no mistake — our district will be nothing short of gutted and fully decimated if something does not change with regards to the allocation of school aid," Healy said in the letter.

It was that letter that prompted Maillard to act, she said.

"I wanted to take this to the next level," Maillard said, adding that she wrote to all of the people listed on the district's letter. Mailland, who graduated from Toms River North in 1991 along with her husband, John, said the threat to student activities and sports is troublesome when the area is faced with a frightening opioid epidemic.

"We don't want to leave these kids to their own devices," said Mailland, who was in the marching band when she was in high school and was drum major her senior year. John was involved in various clubs. The couple has three boys, one who will be a freshman at Toms River East this fall and twins at Intermediate East.

The extracurricular activities are important for students who are applying college as well, she said, as many schools are looking for a full resume beyond academics.

Her petition, titled "Save Our Students! Help the Students of Toms River Regional Schools Before It's Too Late!" had nearly 3,600 signatures in less than 24 hours.

The law, S2, also includes a requirement that districts that are losing adjustment aid and are under adequacy — meaning they are spending less per student than the state has deemed is necessary for a thorough and efficient education — must also increase the property tax levy by 2 percent each year until they are no longer under adequacy.

"The Toms River Regional School District is one of the most efficient and fiscally responsible in the state," Mailland wrote in the petition, which she created in consultation with two other Toms River schools graduates. "We have the fourth-lowest cost-per-student while striving to provide our students with an education to foster college and career readiness."

The petition is one of a number of efforts to draw attention. School board candidate Anna Polozzo posts reminders on her blog daily for parents and taxpayers to write to legislators. Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher posted a letter on the township's Facebook page emphasizing the support from him and the Toms River Township Council in the fight. The Greater Toms River Chamber of Commerce, which last year named the Toms River school district its Organization of the Year, has issued a statement supporting efforts to fight for the aid.

"We stick together. 'Jersey Strong' is our motto, and perhaps nothing made that clearer in our community than Superstorm Sandy," Mailland wrote. "More than five years later, Toms River is still experiencing the effects of the storm, along with many other Jersey Shore towns. The state should hold off reducing education aid until the value of property returns to pre-Sandy levels. Let’s continue to be Jersey Strong and fight for our students!"

"Demand Governor Murphy and the New Jersey State Legislature repeal S2 now. This flawed and unjust formula hurts our students and communities. Demand Governor Murphy adapt Senator James W. Holzapfel’s bill S2803/A4278 for the Jersey Shore and the state, which prevents State school aid reduction in school districts that experienced decrease in equalized valuation and are located in certain counties. Save our students! NO S2!" she wrote.

You can sign the petition here.

You can contact state legislators, Gov. Murphy and Repollet at the following emails and phone numbers:

• Governor Phil Murphy: Constituent.relations@nj.gov; 609-292-6000
• Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver: Constituent.relations@nj.gov; 609-292-6000
• Dr. Lamont Repollet, Acting Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Education: 609-376-3500
• Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin: AsmCoughlin@njleg.org; 732-855-7441
• Senate President Steve Sweeney: sensweeney@njleg.org; 856-251-9801; 856-339-0808
• Sen. Jim Holzapfel, District 10: senholzapfel@njleg.org; 732-840-9028
• Assemblyman David Wolfe, District 10: asmwolfe@njleg.org; 732-840-9028
• Assemblyman Greg McGuckin, District 10: asmmcguckin@njleg.org; 732-840-9028
• Sen. Chris Connors, District 9: SenConnors@njleg.org; 609-693-6700
• Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, District 9: AsmRumpf@njleg.org; 609-693-6700
• Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove, District 9: AswGrove@njleg.org; 609-693-6700

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