Schools
Governor's Budget: Jefferson Schools Slated To Get $531,000 More Aid
Christie promises increases for every school district in the state.
Jefferson Township schools would get half a million dollars more in state aid in 2011-2012 than they did in 2010-2011 under Gov. Chris Christie's proposed budget.
Christie promised in his budget address Tuesday every district in the state would see an aid increase—part of a $250 million boost to education aid overall. In Morris County alone, schools would see an overall increase of more than $13 million.
Last year, the governor sharply reduced aid to schools, including several in Morris County. Some saw their state aid eliminated entirely. At the time, many districts had been making plans for their budgets based on suggestions of more modest cuts by the state Department of Education.
Find out what's happening in Jeffersonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"I agonized over making cuts to education aid last year," the governor said in his budget address. "They were the very last cuts I approved. It was not a decision I took lightly. It was not something I wanted to do. However, in a year where shared sacrifice was required from everyone, it was a necessary choice."
But he said hard decisions made over the last year allowed for some increase this year. Many districts will still receive less than they did prior to 2010-2011, however.
Find out what's happening in Jeffersonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In proposals tied to his budget, the governor is also pushing for reform to tenure, and for public employees to take on much of the cost associated with their benefits. He's also pushing for associated pension reforms, and is planning to increase the amount of charter schools throughout the state.
"The need for reform, of course, is more urgent than ever. ... We need to reward excellent teachers, put an end to automatic tenure, and give parents trapped in failing schools a choice for a better future for their children. Once and for all, we must reward excellence and there must be consequences for failure. This is the way it is all across America – we must finally bring it to all of New Jersey’s classrooms," Christie said.
The governor's reform proposals have been met with opposition by groups including the NJEA, the state's largest teacher's union, which maintains Christie is unfairly burdening teachers and making them out to be the villians in a complex budget crisis.
The proposed state aid for Morris County schools is as follows:
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.