Proposed Legislation Could Eliminate Oaklyn K-9 Schools

OAKLYN, NJ —Lawmakers say they have a plan to fix New Jersey's fiscal crisis, restore the stability of the pension system and save tens of billions of dollars for taxpayers, and it includes closing the Oaklyn K-9 Public School District.

Oaklyn is one of 300 districts named in a 27-bill package that would be eliminated. The bills also would create a pilot program testing the viability of countywide school districts.

The package, known as the Path to Progress bills, was unveiled by Senate President Steve Sweeney, Sens. Paul Sarlo and Steve Oroho and Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald.

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.

The bill package comes just after lawmakers killed a bill to legalize marijuana in New Jersey. Read more: NJ Marijuana Legalization Bill Is Dead: Voters Will Decide

"These reforms can have an historic impact that will produce an unprecedented amount of sustained savings," Sweeney said. "They will help make New Jersey more affordable, especially for hard working middle class families."

Read more here: 27 Proposed Laws Pushed: Nearly 300 NJ School Districts May Go

See related:
Consolidation Still Possible For Oaklyn Schools
Oaklyn Public School District May Disappear Under New State Plan