Falcons 4 Fair Funding

Jefferson Township BOE has approved a difficult but deliberate response to the $2.9 million shortfall. The preliminary budget takes a three-pronged approach to address this funding challenge while avoiding the most severe and harmful impacts on students.

Read more: https://www.jefftwp.org/post-details/~board/falcons-4-fair-funding/post/board-of-education-approves-20262027-preliminary-budget-advocacy-efforts-continue

Wilsusen-Mayor of Jefferson Twp NJ

Tune in to the Morris Sussex Sports podcast at 3:00PM as JTHS Athletics Bill Koch joins the conversation to discuss Jefferson Township Public Schools looming budget cuts. Link to stream is below:

The Dan Cleary Podcast EP99: Jefferson High School's Bill Koch (Athletic Director) 📺Watch this FREE local sports live stream and more! Only on Big State Sports network, your best place to watch New Jersey high school sports & athletics on ...

Jefferson Township public schools, in Morris County, have pressed for more state aid amid a projected $4.8 million deficit. Though no decisions have been made yet, the district is considering program cuts for the next school year.

Local officials say the district has lost nearly $45 million since the 2017-18 school year after the state began adjusting the way it fulfilled its school funding formula obligations, shifting funds from so-called overfunded districts to those that were historically underfunded.

For the fiscal year that begins July 1, Jefferson schools would receive $5.4 million in aid, after a 6% increase.

Superintendent Jeanne Howe said she was disappointed that the boost amounted to just $308,438. The district had expected $1.2 million, she said.

“The fight is not over,” Howe told NJ Spotlight News on Thursday. “This continues to create significant challenges as we work to balance our budget.”

Read the full article:

Two-thirds of school districts on track for more aid in Sherrill budget | NJ Spotlight News Tens of millions of dollars added in places like Newark and Paterson, while scores of other systems can project less than their current share

The NJ Department of Education released its projected 2026-2027 State School Aid this morning. Initial aid figures indicate that Jefferson will receive approximately $300,000 more in funding; however, the district was denied approximately $1.2 million in additional support under the arbitrary caps applied to the state funding formula. When combined with last year's aid loss of approximately $1.2 million, Jefferson has been denied a total of $2.4 million in just the last two years.

The use of caps is not included in the school funding legislation. These arbitrary limits are preventing Jefferson Township from receiving the full amount of aid the formula identifies as needed to meet New Jersey’s constitutional requirement to provide a thorough and efficient education.

This small increase in State Aid does little to address our predicted shortfall of $4.8 million and leaves our students in danger of losing access to vital services and programming. No decisions about the district’s budget have been made, and none will be made without careful consideration of the full financial picture and impact on our students and school community.

The state has also announced the upcoming legislative budget hearing schedule. Our district plans to organize additional advocacy efforts around those dates, and we will share more information with the community once those plans are finalized. As the state budget process continues, we will continue working with legislators to pursue solutions such as targeted Highlands support, legislative appropriations, or other funding options.

Falcons 4 Fair Funding - Jefferson Township Public School District Falcons 4 Fair Funding - Jefferson Township Public School District

Thank you to William Westhoven at the Daily Record for breaking down Jefferson’s budget crisis and what it means for our schools and community.

Jefferson, other Highlands schools face budget crisis. Will aid come? Facing a big deficit, Jefferson Township may cut sports and arts programs, and other NJ Highlands towns are under pressure. Will the state step in?

Thank you Dr. Laux and team for meeting with Jefferson Township Public Schools and listening to our concerns. We also appreciate the representatives from Senator Anthony M. Bucco's office, Assemblywoman Sweeney’s office, and Governor Mikie Sherrill's office for meeting with our school administration, township administration, and Board of Education members. We look forward to continued conversations on behalf of our students and community.

Welcome, Dr. Laux! The Acting Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education is eager to listen, learn, and lift up the great work happening in classrooms and communities across the state. Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/4m8a8ppx

Thank you to the speakers who shared their experience at last night’s Write It Right student advocacy workshop. We are proud of our JTHS students for engaging thoughtfully and advocating for their own futures. Let’s keep the momentum going—share the information and keep writing!

https://www.jefftwp.org/falcons4fairfunding/~board/falcons-4-fair-funding/post/jths-students-participate-in-advocacy-workshop-focused-on-effective-civic-engagement