Cinnaminson Schools Will See an Increase in State Aid

Cinnaminson schools will benefit from Gov. Chris Christie’s announcement this week that $850 million in new aid will be allocated to New Jersey schools for the 2011-12 year.

The district was set to receive for the next school year, but will now get about $400,000 on top of that.

The district can now expect an extra $774,123.

“Now is the time to complement the dollars spent with real education reform to bring a focus on student learning, accountability and results,” Christie said in a release.

Cinnaminson Schools Business Administrator Thomas Egan and Superintendent Salvatore Illuzzi were not available for comment Wednesday.

At a February board meeting, Illuzzi and other board members expressed hope they would receive at least the same amount of aid as last year.

Included in the package to districts regarding state aid was a memo about the extra aid allotment. It outlined the state’s preferred use for the aid, but did not specify a mandate.

“The additional state aid included in this year’s budget provides your district with a unique opportunity to reduce property tax burdens by lowering your local property tax levies for this fiscal year or the next,” reads the memo sent by Christopher Cerf, acting state education commissioner.

“Using this aid to lower taxes is an important step toward new and effective management of our schools that focuses on improved student achievement, rather than increased spending. I urge you to join our reform initiative by applying these newly allocated funds to alleviate your district’s taxes this fiscal year.”

State Sen. Diane Allen (R-7) also called for school districts to use the funds for tax relief.

“Additional school aid means a better learning environment for our children and less pressure on local property taxes,” she said in a statement. “The additional aid was made possible by a commitment to fiscal discipline and a commitment to living within our means. By controlling runaway state spending, we were able to prioritize education aid for suburban districts like ours.”

Boards of education throughout the state have until 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 19 to make final decisions concerning their tax levies.

According to officials, since property tax rates have yet to be certified by the county boards of taxations, boards of education may reconsider their fiscal year 2011-2012 budgets and reduce their property tax levies with the new aid.

The $42 million spending plan for the 2011-2012 year was in April. It would have raised taxes about $98 for the average homeowner here.

Township committee be cut from the budget, bringing the raise on taxes to about $61 a year. Board members voted to .

The next board of education meeting is at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 19 in Room 120 of the .

Stay with Patch for updates.

Additional reporting by Lauren Burgoon.