Island School Districts Receive Small State Aid Increases

Lavallette Elementary School

School districts on Ocean County’s northern barrier island received small increases of state aid for the 2016-17 school year, some mirroring the state average and some receiving smaller increases than districts statewide.

Statewide increases of aid averaged 0.9 percent, though Ocean County’s districts as a whole had their aid increased by less than half that figure, at an average of 0.4 percent.

Lavallette received a 0.9 percent increase, adding up to $1,612. In all, the district receives $176,054 to support its operating budget. The Seaside Heights district received a 0.3 percent increase, adding up to $3,453. The Heights district receives $1,025,637 in total aid.

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Seaside Park’s aid increased by 0.6 percent – an extra $1,009 added to make up a total aid package of $156,210.

For island residents, the largest tax impact normally flows from the high school districts, since barrier island real estate is often assessed significantly higher than mainland real estate, leading to higher tax bills.

The Toms River Regional school district – the largest suburban school district in New Jersey – received a 0.5 percent increase, adding up to $318,518. The district receives a total aid package of $68,342,239. The Brick Township district will receive a 0.2 percent increase in its state aid for the 2016-17 school year, adding up to $86,500. Point Pleasant Beach’s district received a 3.1 percent increase, $14,934, out of $481,465 in total aid.

As in previous years, the bulk of the state’s education funding – over 60 percent – flows to the former “Abbott” districts under a court order. Newark, one of the former Abbotts, received an additional $26.8 million this year, the largest increase of any district in the state.