Governor Murphy’s Funding Failure: How Jackson Schools Are Paying the Price
By Councilman Giuseppe Palmeri
New Jersey’s public education system is crumbling under the weight of its own inequities, and nowhere is that more evident than in Jackson Township. For years, our district has faced relentless budget cuts, leading to staff reductions, school closures, and program eliminations—all while neighboring districts receive bailout after bailout. Now, the state has extended yet another $65 million loan to the Lakewood School District—bringing their total state loan debt to over $230 million—while Jackson is left to fend for itself.
Let’s be clear: this is not a case of limited state funding. New Jersey’s education budget has continued to grow, surpassing $20 billion this year alone. The issue is that Governor Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Department of Education have chosen to funnel money into select districts while leaving communities like Jackson to suffer. The S2 funding formula, implemented in 2018 under Murphy’s administration, has been a disaster for suburban districts, including ours. Since its adoption, Jackson’s state aid has been slashed by 50.1%, even though our student enrollment has only decreased by 15.5%.
The consequences of this reckless funding model have been devastating:
• Sylvia Rosenauer Elementary School—a fixture in our community—was closed and sold due to financial constraints.
• Seventy staff positions were eliminated in the Jackson School District, directly impacting the quality of education our children receive.
• Parents and taxpayers are being forced to shoulder an $18 million budget deficit, all while watching state money flow elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Lakewood—whose student population is overwhelmingly made up of private school students—continues to receive tens of millions in state loans to cover its public school budget shortfalls. These loans, by the way, are rarely repaid. This raises serious concerns about how state funds are allocated and who benefits from these financial decisions.
Jackson will not stand by while Trenton neglects our schools. At the March 11, 2025, Township Council meeting, we unanimously passed Resolution 113-2025, formally supporting the Jackson Board of Education’s decision to pursue litigation against the New Jersey Department of Education.
The Board of Education had previously authorized legal action but had not yet filed a lawsuit. Given the continued inequities and financial strain, they are now moving forward with litigation, and as a Council, we are standing firmly behind them.
For eight years, the state has chipped away at our school funding, ignoring the pleas of parents, educators, and local officials. Enough is enough. Governor Murphy has had ample opportunity to fix this broken system, yet he has refused to act. Instead, he has allowed politically motivated funding decisions to cripple districts like ours.
This fight is bigger than Jackson. Other suburban districts across New Jersey are facing similar funding cuts, forced to make impossible choices between keeping teachers in classrooms or keeping the lights on. It is time for the state to answer for these failures and restore the funding that Jackson—and every other affected district—rightfully deserves.