Assemblyman Greg McGuckin said on Mar. 17 that nearly half of the schools in his 10th Legislative District are receiving a 6% increase in funding this year, which is the maximum allowed under current rules. McGuckin argued that these schools should be getting more and accused Trenton Democrats of changing the school funding formula when it began to benefit Republican towns.
The issue is significant because changes to the school funding formula impact how resources are distributed across districts, potentially affecting educational quality and staffing. McGuckin said, “For six straight years, the Democrats in Trenton blamed the ‘formula’ when our schools lost hundreds of millions of dollars. We heard, ‘It is the formula determining the aid numbers and decimating schools in Ocean and Monmouth counties, not us.’ Suddenly, when the ‘formula’ starts returning some of the aid, Trenton Democrats changed the rules again and instituted a 6% cap.”
Last year, former Governor Phil Murphy set caps on school aid increases at 6% and losses at 3%, following a seven-year phase-in of a law known as S2. This law shifted funds from what were called overfunded schools to mostly Democratic districts. Governor Mikie Sherrill kept these caps while increasing overall K-12 school funding by $372 million. “Trenton Democrats only follow the formula when it benefits Democratic towns; when it benefits Republican towns, they change it,” McGuckin said.
Toms River Regional School District lost $175 million over seven years due to these changes, resulting in staff cuts and reduced programs. Brick Township faces similar challenges and is currently $28 million below its adequacy budget—the amount needed for a thorough education. Seventy percent of New Jersey’s schools slated for increases are limited to 6%, including Toms River and Brick. This fall, Toms River will receive $1.7 million more than last year while Brick’s funding will rise by about $900,000.
McGuckin added that “the 6% increase doesn’t even cover built-in cost drivers like health insurance premiums and higher utility bills, especially after years of cuts.” He also criticized how about 30% of state schools face further cuts under Sherrill’s plan—including five in his district—and questioned the transparency behind how funding numbers are calculated: “The accounting used to determine the school funding numbers relies on made-up math… because there is no real formula and there never was.”
John DiMaio has been involved with various legislative roles since joining the General Assembly in 2009 and has served as Minority Leader since 2022 according to the official legislative roster (https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-roster/313/assemblyman-dimaio). DiMaio represents District 23—which includes Hackettstown—and previously served as mayor there from 1991 to 1999 as reported by the official legislative roster (https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-roster/313/assemblyman-dimaio). He also held positions such as Appropriations Officer from 2012 to 2017 and Budget Officer from 2018 to 2019 according to information from the official legislative roster (https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-roster/313/assemblyman-dimaio).
The debate over New Jersey’s school funding approach continues as lawmakers discuss whether current policies meet students’ needs or reflect political priorities.
