Chatham Schools See Less Aid Than Expected In Revised Budget

CHATHAM,NJ—The School District of the Chathams joined nearly 400 other municipalities who would get less K-12 aid next year than previously proposed under Gov. Murphy's revised budget.

"Supporting our public schools has been one of the bedrock priorities of my administration," said the governor on Wednesday. "The pandemic has created an unprecedented challenge for our schools."

Chatham schools received $2,999,890 in state aid in 2019-20, and expected the $3.4 million in aid proposed by Gov. Murphy earlier this year.

Chatham would still see a 4.8% increase in K-12 aid for the 2020-2021 school year under the new budget, however. The revised proposal has $3,143,034 slated for the district, an increase of $143,144.

The new budget proposal also contains $100 million in Coronavirus Relief Fund money for districts to bring schools into compliance with the state reopening plan health standards. School systems already within the guidelines would use that money to maintain those standards. The revised numbers also include $67.8 million in preschool education aid, for a total preschool allocation of $874.2 million.

More than 190 schools would receive less aid than last year, according to the proposal. Chatham schools did not immediately return a request for comment.

—with reporting by Tom Davis