No Additional State Funds for Paramus Schools

Paramus schools have not lost any funds from the state for the coming year but the district was not among those chosen to receive a boost in aid as per Governor Christie's move to add $97 million towards school funding for 2013-2014.

As per figures released by Christie's office Thursday, Paramus schools will get $1,924,626 for school year 2013-2014, the same amount it received for 2012-2013 by a difference of one dollar.

Business administrator Steven Cea says the tentative budget was built with the anticipation that there would be no additional state aid coming in this year.

"There were some early indications that we may have seen a reduction in or an elimination of aid, so we are pleased those scenarios did not materialize.," says Cea. "However, no increase on the $1.9 million still leaves the district well below the $3.9 million the funding formula calculates as the appropriate amount of aid for Paramus schools."

The district had received state aid increases the past two years bringing it up to the $1.9 million figure it will once again receive this year. However it still remains less than what it once received in aid prior to 2010 when the district's budget had been slashed so severely it was nearly eliminated.

The Paramus Board of Education will conduct a special meeting Monday, March 4 at 7 p.m. in the Board office to adopt a tentative budget which will then be sent to the county for approval.

A budget presentation for the public is scheduled for March 21.

Last March the Paramus board trustees approved a budget which had a tax levy increase of 1.7 percent, which amounted to a $45 tax bill increase for the average homeowner.

 Christie pledged Tuesday there would be no cuts to any K-12 district and 378 districts would get a boost in aid.

The state gave $2,853,507 in additional aid to Bergen County school district of which about 20 out of the 77 districts received some type of increase.