Christie to Hold Town Hall on School Funding Proposal in Monmouth County Tuesday

Wall, NJ — Gov. Chris Christie is hitting the road to promote his proposed school funding reform plan, and his first stop is scheduled for Tuesday in Wall Township.

Christie will host a forum on The Fairness Formula, his proposed school funding plan, at the Wall branch of the Monmouth County Library, 2700 Allaire Road.

Residents interested in attending must RSVP.

Christie announced his proposal to reform the school funding formula last week. His plan would give districts a flat amount of $6,599 per pupil regardless of where the district is located — a proposal he says will address the issue of the property tax burden of residents in suburban districts.

The proposal would boost funding for most of the state's more than 600 school districts, while at the same time significantly impacting funding to poorer, urban districts — the 31 so-called "Abbott" districts.

The $6,599-per-student amount came from the $9.1 billion spent by the state this year divided by each enrolled student in grades kindergarten through 12, Christie said in announcing the plan.

The proposal was assailed by the New Jersey Education Association, which said the proposal would set the state’s education progress back decades.

Christie's office launched a website called The Fairness Formula to promote the plan, providing estimates of how much property owners might save in various towns under the equalized funding formula.

Wall Township property owners would see an average tax savings of $1,523, according to the governor's office.

According to nj.com, which compiled a list of data showing the current per-pupil aid by district versus what that figure would be under Christie’s plan, the Wall School District would receive a 547 percent increase in aid — $5,495.13 more per student, or roughly $19.8 million for the district's 3,599 students.

While Wall residents would see a significant boost, the nearby Asbury Park School District would be hard-hit under Christie's plan, with funding decreasing $22,384.78 for each pupil, according to calculations by NJ.com.

“No child in this state is worth more state aid than another," Christie said in announcing the proposal. "We’re talking about 546 districts having to divide $88 billion over the last 30 years and 31 districts dividing $97 billion. Where did the money go? And what did you get in return for it? But an even more important question than what did you get in return for it — what did those children and their families get in return for it?”

The forum begins at 3:30 p.m., with the doors opening at 2:30 p.m.

Residents can RSVP to FairnessForum.Wall@nj.gov. Doors open at 2:30 p.m., and seating is on a first come, first served basis and open to the public.

No bags of any kind are permitted in the venue, and personal items are subject to search. Due to safety requirements, law enforcement officers will be in attendance.