$308K In State Aid Restored To The Washington Township School Budget

LONG VALLEY, NJ — The Washington Township School District which was facing a $467,500 loss in state aid is set to get some relief under a $102 million deal reached late Thursday, State Sen. Vin Gopal confirmed Friday.

The deal proposes restoring 66 percent of the funding that was set to be cut to 150 schools in the state. For the Washington Township School District, that means $308,550 less to be cut.

However, even under the deal, the township school district will still lose $158,950 in state aid.

The bill, co-sponsored by Senators Vin Gopal and Andrew Zwicker, provides $102 million to districts that faced severe budget cuts under Gov. Phil Murphy's proposed budget for 2023-24.

The announcement comes after the district released its preliminary budget, which includes dozens of cuts and school redistricting.

According to a statement released by Murphy's office late Friday, the districts seeing reductions in state funding under S2 will be able to request up to 66 percent of the difference between the aid they received for 2022-23 and the aid amounts proposed for 2023-24.

Read More: $102M Deal Set To Ease NJ School Funding Cuts, Gopal, Murphy Say

"All eligible districts that submit a request to the Commissioner of Education will receive this additional funding, and must include a written plan indicating how they intend to fund operations in future years when this aid is no longer available," the statement said.

With state aid cuts less severe now for the local school district, it is not immediately clear how this will affect the potential budget for the upcoming school year.

Superintendent of the Washington Township School District Peter Turnamian presented the tentative budget at a recent board meeting.

The proposed budget of $46,390,895 for the 2023-24 school year is a decrease of .6 percent over the 2022-23 budget, which was roughly $46,664,904.

For the average homeowner in Washington Township with a home assessed at $439,258, they would see a tax increase of $137 per year.

While the district is still losing money, Turnamian believes the worst of the district's financial problems are already behind them. For example, the school district lost more than $1 million in state aid last year, prompting a more extensive district restructuring.

The preliminary budget has been submitted to the county office for approval. A public hearing and vote on the final budget is scheduled for April 25.