The Cliff That Never Should Have Been Capitol Comments

Assemblyman Alex Sauickie

“Fiscal cliff.”

We’ve heard that phrase before, and now we’ve heard it again. Frustratingly, it means our government has let us down, allowing conditions to fester until we’re at the brink of a financial emergency.

It’s outrageous.

By now, there’s probably no parent of students and no school staff member in Jackson who doesn’t know what I’m talking about already. What the state’s school funding formula has done to Jackson is appalling, and unfortunately it’s not over yet.

Watching the final school budget presentation by Superintendent Nicole Pormilli is both saddening and maddening at the same time. (Go watch it on the school board’s website under “Budget and Financial Information.”) She clearly and painstakingly explains what the state law known as Senate bill 2 (S-2) has wrought, and the efforts she and others have been forced to make to minimize the harm.

“We have reached the fiscal cliff, and after six years, we have lost so much and yet we still have to lose more,” she said. She explained that Jackson was only saved from the fiscal cliff last year by federal Covid-related funds and a grant called stabilization aid.

Unfortunately, Jackson’s state aid was cut yet again this year for the sixth straight time, creating a “budget crisis” now in the superintendent’s words. Still another cut is expected next year.

Ms. Pormilli reported that the $18 million the state has cut over six years is fully one-third of total aid, and is three times the amount that might be justified by lower student enrollment. Yet Jackson schools have been fiscally responsible, ranking 14th lowest in cost per student out of 92 K-12 districts, she noted.

All of this is not for lack of trying to get Trenton to understand why S-2 must be replaced by a reasonable state funding law. I testified before the Assembly Budget Committee on its harmful financial impact on school districts like Jackson. I also suggested specific school budget items, such as transportation and special education, that the state could help fund to offset formula-based cuts that still appear to be on the way.

Unfortunately, that seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Now we’re seeing neighboring school districts like Freehold Regional announce they are cutting courtesy busing to close the financial gap caused by these S-2 cuts.

Along with Ms. Pormilli, I also met with Gov. Murphy’s staff to explain the real-world effects of the funding law he signed. They listened and were professional throughout, but gave us no indication things could change.

Wanting to get a message more directly to the governor, I also sent him a letter reviewing the facts we shared with his staff, and pointing to legislative proposals I’ve introduced to end or mitigate the effects of S-2. I’ve proposed a range of options, from fully eliminating all state school aid cuts this year, to significantly increasing stabilization aid and restoring “education rescue grants,” to smaller ways to alleviate cuts such as allowing schools to transfer capital reserve account funds to the general fund for current expenses.

As I told the governor, I’m ready to speak with anyone at any time to try to find some common ground on solutions to school funding issues. As we all know, this is not some wonky policy issue, it’s something that directly affects our kids, as well as our friends and neighbors who help educate them.

While we continue to work the problem, though, we can also appreciate the bright side of things in the Jackson schools. From school board members to administrators to teachers, the people I’ve spoken with give me great confidence that they will do everything they can to preserve the quality of education that your children and mine receive, and I received, in Jackson. Cliffs belong in the wilderness, not in our schools’ finances.

Alex Sauickie is a life-long Jackson resident who represents his home town and 13 other towns in the State Assembly.