Collingswood, Oaklyn Schools To See State Aid Increases

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ — Despite discussion of possible consolidation for the Oaklyn K-5 Public School District, it will see an increase in state aid for 2020-21, according to numbers recently released by the state. The Collingswood Public School District will also see an increase.

The Collingswood Public School District will receive a total of $10,746,301 in state aid for the 2020-21 school year, according to Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration. The increase comes out to $210,312, or 2 percent.

The Oaklyn K-5 Public School District’s increase will be 4.78 percent, according to the Murphy Administration. It will receive $2,638,907, up $120,434 from last year. This is despite recent talks about consolidation for the state's last K-9 district.Read more here: First Big Step In Plan To Eliminate About 300 NJ School Districts

Oaklyn is the only district in the state that uses a K-5 format. Students in 6th-12th grades attend the Collingswood middle and high schools, which are not listed among the districts that may disappear.

Oaklyn saw a 0.82 percent decrease in state aid last year. Collingswood had a 0.49 percent increase. Read more here: State Aid Increase For Collingswood School District

Overall, state aid would increase 3.8 over the 2019-20 school year under a plan that requires approval from the state Legislature. That number would be larger than the 2.43 percent increase Murphy proposed last year.

Murphy, whose administration has taken heat for state aid cuts to hundreds of schools, also proposed a one-time $50 million burst in aid to stabilize school finances without cutting vital student programs.

An additional $336.5 million in K-12 aid and $83 million for preschool in the governor's budget plan marks an increase of over a billion dollars in state aid for schools since the beginning of the administration, he said.

In his budget remarks on Tuesday, Murphy said the investments in school funding continue to tackle the root-cause of New Jersey's high property taxes.

"The budget proposal unveiled on Tuesday furthers my administration's commitment to level the playing field across New Jersey's public education system, ensuring that all students have access to a high quality, world-class education," Murphy said. "Every dollar spent to maintain our position as the national leader in education makes New Jersey more affordable for communities, like Bound Brook, who deserve much-needed property tax relief."

The governor is proposing an increase of nearly $83 million for preschool funding, for a total of $889.2 million in the FY2021 budget proposal. The increase consists of $58 million for existing programs and $25 million for the expansion of new preschool programs. The new preschool funding is in addition to and separate from the nearly $337 million in additional K-12 school aid, or "formula aid."

The FY2021 budget proposal also continues the seven-year phase-in to full funding of the school funding formula. That law, S2, was designed to address inequities that resulted from the multiple years of overfunding some districts while "failing to adequately meet the needs of other growing districts," officials said.

See related: These 193-Plus Districts May Face Tax Hike: NJ School Aid Figures