Bucco & O’Scanlon to Introduce a Bill to Restore School Aid Following Murphy’s Funding Cuts

Senators Reignite Calls For Bipartisanship to Restore Aid and Fix the Broken School Funding Formula.

Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco (R-25) and Senate Republican Budget Officer Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) announced their intention to introduce legislation that would restore over $200 million in school aid cuts proposed by the Murphy administration.

“It is extremely concerning that while Governor Murphy proposes to spend a record amount of money on education, certain school districts are on the hook for major reductions in state aid,” said Sen. Bucco. “Schools that find themselves on the losing end of New Jersey’s broken school funding formula are struggling to make ends meet. Restoring these cuts are a necessary step towards ensuring that educators have the resources to combat learning loss and provide children with the education they so rightfully deserve.”

“Republicans have proposed amending the broken school funding formula for years, but unfortunately the administration ignored us — and worse, educators. Unnecessarily large cuts are digging into certain school districts and risk taking away valuable opportunities for young children,” said Sen. O’Scanlon. “While certain schools have struggled to survive, the Murphy administration has wasted tens of millions of dollars on a French Arts Museum and other unexplained pork projects. This legislation would repurpose unexpended appropriations made in prior fiscal years to responsibly restore the proposed school aid cuts to protect every child’s education.”

The bill would amend the annual appropriations act to fully restore proposed school funding cuts for certain school districts in FY 2025. School districts that received supplemental “hold harmless” aid last year to ameliorate S-2 cuts would receive that amount again.

You can view the bill, as well as the full list of amended appropriations online (Click Here for PDF).