Parsippany School Aid Reduced In Revised Budget

PARSIPPANY, NJ—Parsippany schools would receive less state K-12 aid next year than previously proposed—but still see an increase from this year—under Gov. Murphy's revised budget released this week.

"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."

Under the revised budget, Parsippany would be one of nearly 400 municipalities receiving less than what was proposed in February. Parsippany schools received $6,091,659 in K-12 aid in 2019-20, and expected $7 million in aid proposed by Gov. Murphy earlier this year.

Parsippany 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 $6,382,412 slated for the district, a difference of $290,753.

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. Parsippany's school board did not immediately return a request for comment.

—with reporting by Tom Davis