1 week Ago
Officials in a Hunterdon County school district say they have cut 65 teaching and staff positions as they scramble to secure additional funding. The Flemington-Raritan Regional School District began the painful process earlier this year by eliminating three administrative positions to help close a budget gap. Then came more than 50 cuts, slashing teachers, counselors, nurses and support staff.
At its most recent meeting on April 19, the board of education approved another round of reductions and 10 more teaching positions were eliminated for next year. That brought the total number of slashed jobs to 65. The cuts have been devastating, Flemington-Raritan Regional Superintendent Kari McGann said, but the district has had to make difficult decisions as it struggles to secure funding from the state Department of Education.
“Yes, these cuts are deep. Indeed, the impact is catastrophic. Of course, we are devastated by our losses,” McGann said in a statement this week.
“But we can no longer afford to keep everyone we have. It is not possible.” She said the district is angry and has been forced to play an imaginary game of “Chutes and Ladders” with the New Jersey Department of Education.
“We move our school district across the NJDOE funding board, up the rungs of the State’s ladder of funding applications to occasionally slide down a chute to begin all over again building the district’s case for fair funding,” McGann added. Flemington-Raritan is a regional pre-K–8 district serving nearly 3,000 students in Flemington Borough and Raritan Township. In March, the Flemington-Raritan Regional school board approved a tentative $70 million budget for the 2025-26 school year, with a 4% increase in the local tax levy to help cover costs.
Flemington-Raritan Regional is set to receive $6.4 million in state aid for the upcoming school year, a 6% increase from last year, According to figures from the state Department of Education . However, over the past six years, the district has lost more than $1 million in state funding.
And, with the current budget plan, the district remains more than $3.7 million “below adequacy” by the state’s standard — meaning it’s not spending enough to ensure a thorough and efficient education for students. This is the first time in 10 years the district has fallen below adequacy and it is the only one in Hunterdon County to fall short, school officials said.
Faced with financial challenges, including mounting healthcare costs for staff and the rising cost of educating students, officials have also turned to raising taxes amid the staff reductions, McGann said. Over two dozen teachers, students and community members spoke at a recent board of education meeting, protesting against the staff losses and potential tax hike. In March, a special election was held asking voters to approve a tax increase to prevent further staff cuts to fill the budget gap.
The majority of residents voted against the increase, and as a result, 30 jobs were cut and cannot be reinstated, according to the district. But, because the district is below adequacy, it is allowed to petition the state education commissioner for permission to exceed its tax cap for the 2025-26 school year. If approved, the officials could raise the tax levy by up to 10.
1%, leading to an increase in property taxes for homeowners. That would allow the district to raise millions more for the budget and restore up to 15 teaching positions, according to school officials. “This decision was not made lightly,” board of education president Ryan Birkenstock said at a recent meeting.
“We recognize the burden this places on taxpayers.” In a similar position, the Bordentown Board of Education in Burlington County sought permission from the state education commissioner to exceed its spending cap in an effort to reinstate some of the 50 jobs that were cut. Many other school districts have been forced to take drastic measures to address years of budget shortfalls.
The state’s school funding formula, which was fully implemented for the first time last year, has long been a source of contention, with some districts pointing to it as the root of their financial struggles. Flemington-Raritan Regional School District’s final budget hearing and adoption is scheduled for Thursday. Stories by Nyah Marshall N.
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Nyah Marshall may be reached at [email protected].
