Brick Schools To Introduce Tentative 2021-22 Budget

BRICK, NJ — The Brick Township Board of Education is scheduled to present a preliminary look at the 2021-22 school district budget when the school board meets at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The school board agenda includes a resolution for a tentative budget of $160.8 million, with a tax levy of $117.4 million.

The tentative budget includes the $5.3 million cut in state aid that was part of Gov. Phil Murphy's proposed budget, announced in late February. That cut is part of the ongoing cuts in aid to the Brick Township Schools under S2, a law that has been reducing the district's aid since 2018.

S2 enforced cuts in so-called adjustment aid to districts that have been deemed to not be paying their local fair share of property taxes. It also requires districts to increase their tax levy to the maximum 2 percent cap. Read more: Brick Schools To Lose $5.3M In State Aid For 2021-22

The cut, which was anticipated, represents a 19.45 percent decrease in aid to the district this fiscal year. It compounds the financial pressure on the district, which has led to more than 100 positions — more than 10 percent of the staff — being cut due to what Superintendent Thomas Farrell called "the S2 funding cliff."

The introduction of a tentative budget is the first step in the process of reaching a final budget. The tentative budget is submitted to the executive county superintendent of schools for approval, as required under state law.

The district will hold a public hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. on April 29 at the Brick Professional Development Center.

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