Tabernacle Township to receive additional school funding from the state

By Katrina Grant

Tabernacle Township schools recently received additional state funding that they hope will be used to keep personnel and programs that are currently funded from the ARRA and Ed Jobs funds.

In a 3–2 state Supreme Court ruling that took place in May, the court ruled that the state had to restore approximately $500 million to Abbott districts. Abbott districts are low-income school districts and there are 31 in the state.

Last week, the state announced that it is giving the Abbott districts $450 million and an additional $150 million to non-Abbott districts. The state is also giving an additional $250 million to all school districts for the 2012 budget year. This equals to $850 million in additional aid to the school districts for the year. While many school districts don’t know if this funding will be around next year, they are putting plans together as to what to do with the money this year.

Tabernacle, which saw its budget cut by 5 percent two years ago, will receive an additional $130,896 in funding for the 2012–13 year.

“Hopefully this additional funding will allow us to keep personnel and programs that have been subsidized by the ARRA Funds, which expired June 30, and the Ed Jobs Funds, which will expire June 30, 2012,” Chad Fires, business administrator/board secretary, said. “However, many things could change between now and the 2012–13 school year budget.”

Throughout the various 591 school districts in New Jersey, many will apply the money in different ways. Some may restore staff, programs; give the money back to the taxpayers or a mix of some of these options. While Tabernacle ultimately decides what programs or staffing needs to apply the money to, it hopes this will be a continuing trend.

“We hope that it will continue,” Fires said. “We were told by the governor that this was an effort to start to replace the money that was taken away two years ago.”

While Tabernacle is not sure what the status of additional funding will be in the coming years, it hopes to see things stabilize.

“I can’t speculate on that,” Fires said. “There are many variables. I believe that, as the economy continues to rebound, state funding will stabilize.”