TOWNSHIP OF JACKSON RESOLUTION 124-2026

STATE OF NEW JERSEY URGING THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY TO ESTABLISH FAIR AND EQUITABLE SCHOOL FUNDING FOR JACKSON TOWNSHIP STUDENTS

DASTI, McGUCKIN, McNICHOLS, CONNORS, ANTHONY & BUCKLEY COUNSELLORS AT LAW 620 W. LACEY ROAD FORKED RIVER, N.J. 08731

WHEREAS, the Township Council of the Township of Jackson recognizes that every child in New Jersey deserves access to a high-quality public education regardless of the municipality in which they live; and

WHEREAS, the New Jersey Supreme Court has repeatedly stated that it is the State's responsibility to provide a thorough and efficient education for all students in this state, not local municipalities; and

WHEREAS, under the current State of New Jersey school funding formula, districts across the state receive significantly different levels of state aid per pupil; and

WHEREAS, local school districts have been forced to sue the State Department of Education in an effort to determine how the school funding formula is calculated and the State Department of Education has refused to provide this information to local school districts essentially making it a “secret formula”; and

WHEREAS, publicly available state data indicates that certain districts receive substantially higher levels of per-pupil funding, including but not limited to:

  • Newark Public Schools – approximately $26,000 per pupil
  • Jersey City Public Schools – approximately $23,000 per pupil
  • North Bergen Public Schools – approximately $19,000 per pupil; and

WHEREAS, the Jackson Township School District currently receives approximately $3,400 per pupil in state aid, a fraction of what many other districts receive; and

WHEREAS, residents of Jackson Township collectively contribute an estimated $68 million annually in New Jersey state income taxes, yet approximately only $22 million is returned to by the State to support Jackson's public schools under their secret formula; and

WHEREAS, this disparity places a disproportionate burden on Jackson Township property taxpayers and limits the ability of the Jackson School District to provide resources comparable to those available in other school districts which receive almost 10 times the amount of State funding for their students; and

WHEREAS, the Township Council believes that all students in the State of New Jersey deserve fair and equitable treatment under the school funding formula, and that funding disparities of this magnitude raise serious concerns regarding fairness and equity; and