Click here to read the BTPS State Budget Hearing Testimony by Dr. Farrell.

Use #SaveBrickSchools to tweet, call or email Governor Murphy @GovMurphy, Senator Sweeney @NJSenatePres and the NJ Commissioner of Education, Dr. Lamont Repollet @DrLRepollet each day asking them to explain why BTPS is losing $24 million dollars which will cause senseless devastation of our schools and community.

Tell them how great our schools are and ask them to SHARE THE FORMULA!

What’s Great About Brick Schools:

We’re not just brick & mortar, we build the foundation to do great things!

Brick Schools are losing $24 Million Dollars due to a “secret'' state funding formula!

While the 2008 school funding formula is a matter of public record, the 2018 revised school funding formula has been identified as “proprietary” and is NOT being shared with the public. Release of the formula is essential for those districts, like Brick, who have been denied state funding.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Please complete an Open Public Records Act Request Form (OPRA) to bring awareness to the fact that the state is using a “secret” formula to fund public schools.
 

Please add your personal information to the prefilled OPRA request form:

Great Schools = Great Communities

#SaveBrickSchools

We've already been devastated by Sandy. This Bill may halt further destruction to our communities by freezing State Aid cuts.

S139 - “Prevents State school aid reduction in school districts that experienceddecrease in equalized valuation and are located in certain counties.”

State Senator James Holzapfel, the Legislative 10 representative for Brick Township, is the Primary Sponsor of this bill. S139 is currently “stuck” in the Education Committee at the NJ State Senate with no further action being taken.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Please email or call the Education Committee members (below) to ask why the bill is not being advanced. Tell them about how great our schools are, and how losing $24 million in state aid will devastate our community! Passing S139 will help to stop the future aid cuts in 2021, 2022 and 2023. This bill will not take money from other districts it will only stop the loss of aid to communities affected by SuperStorm Sandy.

NJ State Senate Educa on Commi ee Members

Great Schools = Great Communities
#SaveBrickSchools

What do I need to know about the loss of aid?
As we plan the budget for 2020-2021, the additional loss of aid is anticipated at $4.2 million. The loss of aid is cumulative, therefore the total loss of aid a er two years of cuts will be approximately $8.8 million.

Legislation, P.L. 2018, Chapter 67, commonly referred to as S2, requires districts such as Brick to raise taxes each year over the next six years. The mandatory tax increase will be 2% of local school tax levy annually. Additionally, our school district is considered to be $11.5 million under adequacy for spending as determined by the NJ Department of Education. The combination of the loss of aid, a below adequacy budget, and the annual mandated increase of 2% will NOT bridge the gap for Brick Schools.

How does the continued loss of aid impact Brick Township School District and the community?
The district has been faced with a series of cuts to bridge the gap with this loss of aid. Over the past two years, the district has already cut administrative, teacher, and support staff positions. We are on track for continued losses of staff and, ultimately, programs for our students. Please know that the Brick School District remains concerned that our more recent gains with student achievement will be marginalized with the many changes forecasted.
 

Did the district take any action to appeal the loss of aid?
In 2017-2018, the district initially faced a loss of $750,798, a er the budget had already been developed. As it was the first year of aid loss, districts were offered the option to apply to have aid reinstated. Brick did apply, with voluminous documentation, and aid was returned to the district. Following the same process, the district again applied for reinstatement of the sum of both 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-2020 aid figures as that was the anticipated loss. Our application and a subsequent appeal was denied.
 

What has the district done beyond appeals to the NJ Department of Education?
We have and continue to take action on behalf of the community. Brick Township Public School District has continued to collaborate with districts in the region over the past few years in pursuit of a remedy at the state level.
 

What can you do as a local citizen?
The most important thing each citizen can do is to remain informed. Appeal processes have not been successful, the budgetary impact is real and has already begun to impact every classroom and program in the district. Please visit the school web site for the most current information
 

The Brick Township School District seeks your continued support in all of our efforts to advocate for our students, staff, programs, and the future of our community!