NJ overrules Jackson school board, adopts budget despite huge cuts, tax hike

JACKSON — Less than one week after school board members rejected the district's budget over its inclusion of "unthinkable cuts" required to make ends meet, the state Department of Education overruled them and forced the budget into place.

The district's fiscal monitor, Carole Knopp-Morris, overruled the board's unanimous decision on Tuesday and adopted its $165.7 million spending plan that includes the closure of Rosenauer Elementary School, the loss of 80 staff positions and the elimination of all late buses, as well as other cuts.

More: Jackson School District threatens to sue NJ over 'unthinkable' financial aid cuts

Now that the budget is adopted, Jackson taxpayers can expect their school taxes bill to contain a sizeable increase. The budget includes a 9.9% tax levy -- a special, one-time exemption to the standard 2% cap granted by a new state law -- that would result in a $4,861 school tax bill for taxpayers with property at the average assessed value of $330,688.

That tax bill is about $146 more than last year.

The Toms River Regional Board of Education also saw its budget adopted by the state after board members rejected it on similar grounds. Like Jackson, the Toms River district is pursuing a lawsuit against the state over the school funding formula.

"Adopting a balanced budget is among the most basic and fundamental responsibilities a school district bears to provide a constitutionally required thorough and efficient education to its students," the department said in an unattributed press release. "While the department does not underestimate the difficulty of these decisions – budget development and adoption is a complex, multi-faceted, even emotional process, given the importance of school programs to our students and communities -- we also fully expect New Jersey’s world-class district leaders to rise to that challenge.

"The difficulty of these decisions does not excuse any failure by district leaders or local boards of education to comply with one of their most critical statutory obligations to successfully oversee a public school system."

District officials have pinned the blame on a 2018 bill that rewrote the funding formula that determines state aid; since 2017, aid to Jackson has plummeted from $51 million to just $25.3 million.

In a statement, Jackson school board President Giuseppe Palmeri said the state has left the district in a catch-22: If board members don't pass the budget, they're alleged to be withholding a "thorough and efficient education." But if they pass a budget riddled with devastating cuts, they still won't be able to provide a thorough and efficient education.

Palmeri specifically cited the state's denial of the district's loan application , the second time in two years the district sought a loan from the department.

"The situation that this district faces has been caused entirely by the state and not by our administration. Even our state monitor has publicly acknowledged this fact," Palmeri said. "To now deny us the absolute bare minimum — a loan which would at least let us get by for next school year and permit us to offer students a thorough and efficient education — is disturbing on many levels."

The district is now weighing its legal options, Palmeri said.

Last year, more than 64% of Jackson voters shot down a ballot referendum that would have allowed the district to raise taxes by more than $4 million in order to hire over 30 teachers, counselors and support staff.

On July 24, the school board approved a series of personnel resignations, transfers and terminations, each attributed to “severe budgetary cuts.”

Mike Davis has spent the last decade covering New Jersey local news, marijuana legalization, transportation and a little bit of everything else. He's won a few awards that make his parents very proud. Contact him at mdavis@gannettnj.com or @byMikeDavis on Twitter .

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ overrules Jackson school board, adopts budget despite huge cuts, tax hike