Christie’s Proposed new Budget Funnels Increased School Aid into Bridgewater-Raritan School District

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, shown being interviewed
in a one-hour feature this week by Piers Morgan.
(TV Screenshot by Dick Bergeron)

Data released today by Governor Chris Christie’s office shows that school aid for the Bridgewater-Raritan School District for the 2012-2013 school year rose by 12.9%, to $9,087,358, an increase of $1,038,050 over last year’s $8,049,308.

The distribution of that $9,087,358 in state aid for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District is broken down as follows:

Aid for transportation of children to and from school, $811,013,

Aid for students receiving special education, $5,522,769,

Aid for security, $668,799,

Equalization Aid, $2,084,777

Before this announcement, the proposed 2012-2013 school budget for the Bridgewater-Raritan School District stood at $133,817,689, a 3% increase over last year.  It was already at the 2% tax levy cap allowed by law, and it assumed no increase in state funding.

The increase of $1 million+ in school aid announced by Governor Christie’s office today could be considered as newly found money which, if the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education so concurred, might be used in its entirety to reduce the crushing impact of steadily rising property taxes upon the homeowners and businesses of Bridgewater and Raritan.

Because of the BR-BOE’s action at its last meeting at which it eliminated, by a vote of 5 to 3, the ability of the communities of Bridgewater and Raritan to vote upon the school budget in April, you will have no say in that decision