Murphy Deals Blow To Plan That Could Nix Oaklyn K-9 Schools

OAKLYN, NJ — Gov. Phil Murphy took steps toward gutting what was becoming a very unpopular plan that could lead to the elimination of nearly 300 New Jersey school districts, including the Oaklyn K-9 Public School District.

Murphy used his line-item veto power to eliminate $48.5 million in what he called "pork" from the 2020 budget on Sunday. This included cutting $38 million from $48 million that had been set aside for a school consolidation study. It accounts for 80 percent of what had been set aside for the study.

Read more here: Gov. Budget Vetoes: Can 274 NJ School Districts Still Disappear?

Oaklyn was among the school districts that was named to a list for possibly disappearing as part of a 27-bill package known as the “Path to Progress” bills, proposed earlier this year by Senate President Steve Sweeney, Sens. Paul Sarlo and Steve Oroho and Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald.

Sweeney has been pushing for requiring county superintendents of schools to establish consolidation plans that would combine all school districts, other than preschool or kindergarten through grade 12 districts, into all-purpose regional schools districts.

The study should take into account the feasibility of consolidation and any consequences of consolidation. Districts would then have 2 years to consolidate if approved by the state commissioner of education, or 3 years if the commissioner does not and creates their own plan.

Sweeney said the bills are intended to provide stability to a state with the highest property taxes, the second-largest unfunded pension liability, the second-worst credit rating and the fifth-highest overall tax burden in the nation.

The Oaklyn Public School District is among the districts named on the list. It is the only district in the state that uses a K-9 format. Students in 6th-12th grades attend the Collingswood middle and high schools, which are not listed among the districts that may disappear.

See related:

Proposed Legislation Could Eliminate Oaklyn K-9 Schools

Consolidation Still Possible For Oaklyn Schools

Oaklyn Public School District May Disappear Under New State Plan