Oroho: Murphy Claims School Funding Is Flat When Reality Is Something Else

Commissioner of Education Corrects Boss at Today’s Senate Budget Hearing

Senate Republican Budget Officer Steven Oroho released the following statement after this morning’s Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee hearing with the Department of Education:

“The Governor claimed in his budget address in August that school funding isn’t being cut and the Treasurer made a similar claim that school aid is flat.

“The simple truth about school funding under Governor Murphy’s budget is aid is being cut to approximately 200 schools in mainly suburban and rural communities. Layoffs during a global pandemic are occurring because of it, which Murphy’s own economists say isn’t good public policy. Meanwhile the budget increases aid to 85 school districts by more than 5 percent, and up to 14 percent.  One favored district is receiving a $17 million increase alone.

“The Governor wants to claim he flat-funded schools and looks to lay blame for layoffs and school funding issues at the feet of others.

“The Commissioner of Education today was up front and honest about the cuts that Murphy claims don’t exist.

“I will continue to highlight the fallacy of ‘flat funding’ by the Administration when so many schools are losing aid and property taxes will go up because of it. Ultimately, we need a fairer school funding formula to treats kids equally regardless of where they live.”