In response to a significant property tax increase affecting Toms River residents, the 9th Legislative District delegation has issued a statement criticizing the state’s school funding formula. Senator Carmen Amato Jr., Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, and Assemblyman Greg Myhre expressed concerns over what they describe as a rigged system that fails to adequately support the Toms River School District.
“For years, the State’s school funding formula failed to provide educators serving the Toms River School District with the fiscal resources to provide students with the education they deserve. Dedicated teachers lost their jobs, and impacted taxpayers are getting hit with tax increases that are tearing the community apart,” stated Amato, Rumpf, and Myhre.
The legislators claim that a 6% cap on school aid increases for FY 2026, introduced by the Murphy Administration, deliberately limits funds for struggling districts. They argue this decision has denied districts in their legislative area more than $9.5 million in aid, nearly 44% of which would have gone to Toms River Regional School District.
“These damage amounts are no accident. Rather, they are the direct result of the Governor’s decision to cap school aid increases at 6% for FY 2026, ignoring communities that have lost real funding over multiple years,” they added.
The delegation highlights that local taxpayers now face an increased burden due to these funding limitations. “With the school tax levy in Toms River now accounting for 15.4% of the total property tax bill, it is clear that local taxpayers are being forced to bear an unfair burden caused by the State’s failure to adequately support their schools.”
Amato, Rumpf, and Myhre advocate for changes in state policy: “Our schools shouldn’t be tethered to arbitrary caps, and our parents shouldn’t be punished with tax hikes because the State refuses to fix its formula.”
To address these issues, they have co-sponsored legislation alongside Senator Declan O’Scanlon Jr. and Alex Sauickie—S-4434 and A-5770—that aims to restore full funding for affected districts from FY 2018 through FY 2025 and remove future caps on aid increases.
