School Board: New State Aid Will Save Tax Dollars

Hopatcong schools will use the to lower taxes—eventually, board of education members said Monday night.

The money will be put in reserve until 2012-2013, said Clifford Lundin, board president.

The unexpected state aid which became available in mid-July, also came with a rigorous deadline.

“We were told we either had to adopt a resolution in 48 hours to give it back to the taxpayer or place it on reserve for next year,” said Lundin.

He said, the board has chosen to do both, essentially.

“We are giving it back to the taxpayers, but we are putting it in reserve, so that it minimizes the expected loss of [certain federal] funding next year,” said Lundin.

Hopatcong will get $11,866,390 state aid overall in 2011-12 compared to the $11,185,188 it had the previous year. Earlier this year, the Christie administration announced the district would get $340,601 more than it did in 2010-2011, but earlier this month, the adminsitration added another $340,601. Many school districts saw followed the same pattern as Hopatcong—their increases over 2010-2011 doubled, often exactly.

Christie has said the money is part of an extra $850 million being pumped into New Jersey's public schools into the state's Fisical Year 2012 Budget.

“This year, New Jersey increased state aid to school districts by $850 million over last year, restoring every dollar of the cuts we were forced to make last year and increasing aid by an additional $30 million," Christie said earlier this month. "We are keeping faith with our commitment to New Jersey’s children and families, spending more money per pupil on New Jersey’s students than almost any other state in the country. Now is the time to complement the dollars spent with real education reform to bring a focus on student learning, accountability and results.”