Special Meeting Set As Budget Deadline Nears For Toms River Schools
TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Regional Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting for Wednesday, July 3, according to an announcement on the district's website. The meeting is set for the auditorium at Toms River High School North, 1245 Old Freehold Road, with an executive session at 5 p.m. and the regular business meeting beginning about 5:30 p.m., according to the announcement.The agenda for the meeting includes a vote by the board on the updated 2024-25 tentative school budget. The district has until July 5 to submit it, with the final budget adoption by later in July. The district submitted its initial $291 million tentative budget in March, hoping at the time for an advance on state aid to fill a $26.5 million revenue gap. Days later, state officials told districts across the state — including Toms River and neighboring Jackson Township — that the state would not provide aid advances to any district in 2024-25.A law passed and signed in the meantime provided additional aid — about $1.4 million in the case of Toms River Regional — while giving districts facing significant budget gaps the ability to increase their property tax levies by 9.9 percent. That is nearly five times the 2 percent cap districts have faced since 2011, when the levy increase cap was approved. For Toms River Regional, the 9.9 percent levy would only provide funding for half of the gap in its budget. At the June 18 meeting, the board approved a resolution that would increase the district's property tax levy 9.9 percent if the state provides an additional $12.4 million in funding for the Toms River Regional schools — the amount that would remain.Toms River Regional Superintendent Michael Citta says the district cannot provide a thorough-and-efficient education — required by the state Constitution — to its 14,500 students without the funding. Toms River Regional officials have been working with state legislators ever since, trying to express the dire circumstances facing the district. A cut of $26.5 million would mean the loss of 368 staff positions, and class sizes at the elementary school level that would exceed 250 students, cuts Citta said he would refuse to sign off on. Read more: 368 Job Cuts, 'Ridiculous' Class Sizes In Toms River: What Slashing $26.5M Would MeanGov. Phil Murphy has suggested districts seeing deep aid cuts should close schools — a reflection of the claims years ago that districts were receiving aid for students who were no longer in their districts. Toms River Regional's buildings cannot accommodate closing a high school or middle school. Closing an elementary school would require significant redistricting and would create costs for transporting children. The district also would end up sending additional special education students to out-of-district placements, with increased expenses due to tuition. Read more: Just Close Schools, Murphy Says To Toms River, Districts With Aid CutsThe law that allows the district to increase its property tax levy by 9.9 percent also provides additional time to finalize the budget, based on when Murphy signs the state budget. The state Senate budget committee voted to approve it Wednesday evening, but additional funding for public schools was not in the budget. It's unclear what will happen, however what's happening in neighboring Jackson may be a glimpse at the future. Jackson Township has closed an elementary school to sell it and is eliminating 70 staff positions, the Asbury Park Press reported. Toms River Regional already is more than $91.5 million under adequacy, which is the amount defined by the state Department of Education as the minimum amount a district should be spending per student to educate them. Toms River Regional spends the least per student of any district with more than 3,500 students in New Jersey."The only way we can raise taxes is through the budget process, and the only way to have a budget process is if we have a balanced budget," Citta said June 18. "I cannot sign a budget that doesn’t provide T&E," he said in April.The article Special Meeting Set As Budget Deadline Nears For Toms River Schools appeared first on Toms River, NJ Patch.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings