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Politics & Government

Local School Districts Fare Well in 2012-13 State Aid Allocation

Figures Released from Governor's Office Increase Aid for Caldwell-West Caldwell, North Caldwell and West Essex

As Business Administators crunch numbers in preparation for the 2012-13 school year, they received a bit of good news Thursday as the State increased its aid for the school districts of  ,  and .

With the state figures released from Governor Chris Christie's office, the C-WC BOE received a 24.7% increase in state aid vs. the 2011-12 school budget.  This represents an increase of $190.7 thousand, with the total state aid for 2012-13 allocated at $961.3 thousand.

"This is excellent news, just to get state aid will help us and the taxpayers in Caldwell and West Caldwell," commented C-WC Business Administrator Ronald Skopak.  Skopak added he was hoping to get some aid, but said it was a "good surprise" to receive an increase.

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At West Essex regional school district, Business Administrator Michael Falkowski was also surprised to receive an increase.  "We were originally told the aid would be flat," he said.

West Essex's increase represents a 27.4% increase of $214.2 thousand, for a total state aid package of $996.1 thousand.

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The budget increase for the North Caldwell K-6 school district also saw a slight increase of $12.7 thousand, up by 6.1 percent, for a total package of $220.4 thousand.  Interim Business Administrator Wayne Demikoff was on vacation and unavailable for comment.

While both Falkowski and Skopak were pleased with the increase, the total state aid is still below historic levels.  For the 2010-11 school year, the state had cut roughly $1.5 million in aid for both the West Essex and Caldwell-West Caldwell school districts, and all the aid for North Caldwell.

This budget cut led to reductions in staff for the and districts and a at the West Essex Regional school district that was agreed upon by their four employee unions.

The this year is based on a funding formula that ties aid directly to the number of individual students and their needs.  State aid for the three local districts was allocated to the areas of transportation, special aid and security.

Overall, the majority of school districts received a slight increase in state aid, with the state average at a 1.8% increase.  For Essex County, the average increase was just .4%, with Newark at a slight decrease of .1% and the East Orange district receiving the biggest reduction at almost $3 million, representing a decrease of 1.7% in their state funding.

Suburban districts in Essex county fared better, with Cedar Grove's aid increased by 31.2%, Glen Ridge increasing by 34.4%, Livingston receiving a 31.7% increase and Verona's aid increased by 35.8%.

For a full list of the state aid allocation, click here.

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