{"id":3641,"date":"2019-12-06T01:55:54","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T06:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/?p=3641"},"modified":"2019-12-06T01:55:54","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T06:55:54","slug":"rally-to-save-toms-river-set-for-dec-10-in-trenton-in-protest-of-more-school-funding-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/2019\/12\/rally-to-save-toms-river-set-for-dec-10-in-trenton-in-protest-of-more-school-funding-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Rally to Save Toms River’ Set for Dec. 10 in Trenton in Protest of More School Funding Cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Superintendent

Superintendent David Healy speaks on school funding, June 21, 2017. (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n

Toms River Regional Schools is calling on residents to attend what is being billed as the \u201cRally to Save Toms River\u201d in Trenton on Dec. 10, referring to school funding cutbacks that could lead to layoffs, class size increases and the cutting of some programs in the district, including sports.<\/p>\n

After Gov. Phil Murphy, addressing Toms River schools<\/a>, said the district should not \u201cbe left out to dry,\u201d officials are providing buses for students and staff to \u201chold the governor to his word\u201d by lobbying the state to provide $4.4 million in emergency aid to the district. Residents are being encouraged to carpool to the event, the time and place of which is detailed below.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u200bgovernor has the power and resources to provide \u200bimmediate financial relief\u200b to get us through to next year,\u201d a flyer announcing the event said.<\/p>\n

The district is facing a $5.3 million cut in its funding this year, representing a portion of about $18 million over a seven year period that began last year. Making matters worse, the bill that initiated the cuts \u2013 S-2 \u2013 mandates tax increases, and proposed \u201cfixes\u201d from the state have ratcheted up fear among homeowners. A bill currently pending in the state legislature would allow district like Toms River, whose funding was cut, to allow virtually unlimited property tax increases to close the gap. While the final say would be up to the local school board, the crisis could lead to a scenario under which taxpayers could be pitted against one another \u2013 some lobbying for increases in order to maintain jobs and school programs while others lobby to keep New Jersey\u2019s highest-in-the-nation property tax burden in check.<\/p>\n

The funding cuts were originally proposed by state Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) in 2017 and signed into law during the first year of Murphy\u2019s administration after Sweeney threatened to shut down state government.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can not sit idly by while our exemplary schools and proud communities are destroyed,\u201d the flyer states. \u201cWe will not quit! Trenton is relying on our apathy if not our fatigue, but we\u2019ve only grown STRONGER \u200band more committed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toms River, along with neighboring Brick Township and several district in similar \u2013 or, in Brick\u2019s case, worse \u2013 fiscal positions have filed a lawsuit to overturn the bill. The state has placed various impediments in the way, refusing to turn over its own state funding formula with the explanation that it is \u201cproprietary.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rally will be held at the Governor\u2019s Office at 225 W State Street, Trenton, on Dec. 10, beginning at the gathering point of Toms River High School North at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Toms River Regional Schools is calling on residents to attend what is being billed as the \u201cRally to Save Toms River\u201d in Trenton on Dec. 10, referring to school funding cutbacks that could lead to layoffs, class size increases and the cutting of some programs in the district, including sports. After Gov. Phil Murphy, addressing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,5],"tags":[803,232,11,804],"class_list":["post-3641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-toms-river-schools","tag-rally","tag-school-funding","tag-toms-river-nj-news","tag-trenton"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_8590-e1511314462620.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}