Extra school aid ends up being less than expected BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer FREEHOLD - Administrators in the Freehold Borough K-8 School District had been anxiously anticipating official word about how much additional state aid they would be receiving for the 2007-08 school year. The wait is over. District officials received a document on July 27 advising them of the amount and it turned out to be less than anticipated. The school district's budget for the upcoming school year totals $16.7 million. The state initially indicated it would pay $7.2 million of that amount. Following action by state legislators Sen. Ellen Karcher, Assemblyman Michael Panter and Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck during the state budget negotiations, it was reported that $550,000 would be added to the district's $7.2 million state aid package. However, word came last week that $494,000 - and not $550,000 - will be provided as additional support from Trenton. "Needless to say we are all very disappointed," Superintendent of Schools Elizabeth O'Connell said on July 30. It is not clear why the lower amount is being provided, but O'Connell said the loss of $56,000 in anticipated aid is significant for a district that is already spending less per pupil than what the state requires in order to provide students with a thorough and efficient education. "We're making adjustments now based on the new figures," she said. "The Board of Education will have to accept that as a formal resolution. We will continue to work toward getting the full funding for our students to bring us up to the level of a thorough and efficient education." Department of Education spokesman Richard Vespucci said Freehold Borough was eligible for the state aid based on the fact it is a "low-spending" district and one where students are not making adequate yearly progress according to standards established by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Vespucci said once the 2007 state budget was signed into law, DOE administrators made the calculations for state aid based on figures from the state budget. "If any school official feels there has been an error in calculation, they may contact the county (superintendent of schools) or the Division of Finance" in the DOE, he said, adding that he was not aware of any error in calculation. Panter (D-Monmouth and Mercer) has requested a meeting with education commissioner Lucille Davy to try to find out why the district is receiving $56,000 less in aid than what had apparently been previously determined. "Freehold Borough and other school districts are still being shortchanged despite extra funds going to districts which are well above the thorough and efficient level," Panter said. "I, along with parents, teachers and administrators, am unwilling to concede to a less than standard education for young people in Freehold Borough and elsewhere." O'Connell said Karcher (D-Monmouth and Mercer) and Beck (R-Monmouth and Mercer) have also contacted Davy in regard to this situation. Karcher said she has spoken with officials from Gov. Jon Corzine's office in order to ascertain "where the mix-up" in the figures came from. In her dealings with members of the governor's staff during the state budget process, Karcher said, "We were told that the district would not receive any less than $550,000. We are going to continue to fight. No one said this is over. We need to understand where the discrepancy came from, but we are still going to fight to get the remainder of the money that the district needs." Beck said the $56,000 difference "is not a small error; this funding discrepancy potentially means Freehold Borough will have to cut another teacher's position. Whether Sen. Karcher misspoke or the aid was calculated incorrectly, the simple fact is that these schools should be getting more financial assistance from the state. "All along, I have been leading the chorus of calls for New Jersey to provide extra funding for the nine school districts which have not been funded at the minimum standard set by the state nor meet the adequate yearly progress guidelines," she said. Beck said Freehold Borough administrators are only asking for enough funding to operate at the minimum standard mandated by law. She said the continued lack of appropriate funding has made it impossible for Freehold Borough and other districts like it to function properly. "In the end, we are setting up these school districts to fail," Beck said.