As It Plans For Future, Red Bank School District Faces Aid Cuts

RED BANK, NJ — Planning for the future - while still working with present-day fiscal challenges - is a task the Red Bank School District will begin tackling in the first of a series of strategic planning meetings next week.

District Superintendent Dr. Jared J. Rumage said the district's current strategic plan expires in June of 2024.

The new plan will kick off the 2024-25 school year and provide a road map through 2028-29, he said.

The first meeting will take place on March 13 at the Red Bank Primary School at 7 p.m.

It will include a State of the District presentation followed by a work session to "identify points of pride as well as areas in need of improvement," Rumage said.

This information will be used in the following meetings to identify specific goals and action steps. The process will be facilitated by the New Jersey School Boards Association.

Meanwhile, the district is grappling with an unexpected loss in state aid this year, according to proposed figures released last week by the state Department of Education.

The proposed state aid figure for 2025 is $7,057,307, a cut of $1,719,294 from last year - or a 19.59 percent cut from last year's funding of $8,776,601.

Rumage said the reduction "will certainly impact the design" of the budget.

"But we will remain steadfast in our commitment to safety and security, student academic growth, and creating experiences that inspire and support 'BIG Dreams,' " he said, referring to the district's motto.

He said he is hopeful all of the state aid will be restored, but he has not heard any information about that at this point. State aid figures were just released last week.

State Senate Education Chairman Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, is, as he did last year, working on ways to restore aid to districts such as Red Bank that need the funding. In the state aid proposal, wealthier Colts Neck, for example, is getting a big boost because of a restoration of aid for educating military students - but it, too, had been cut in previous years.

Districts frequently refer back to a complicated state funding formula as the basis for continuing uncertainty.

"Governor Murphy and his team did a great job fortifying the funding pot. It's just unfortunate that the current funding formula is flawed and results in such volatility and unpredictability year to year," Rumage said.

The school board's next regular meeting is scheduled for March 19. There is an April 23 public budget hearing, according to the district meeting schedule.

Regarding the strategic planning meetings, there are two more scheduled after the initial March 13 meeting. All meetings begin at 7 p.m., and translation services will be available. Here are the next meetings:

• Thursday, April 18, Red Bank Middle School
• Tuesday, May 21, at Red Bank Primary School

The Board of Education said it hopes the public will participate in the meetings to "create a shared vision for the future of the Red Bank Borough Public Schools."