Students, teachers, administrators, and parents from the Toms River Regional School District were in attendance today to rally against the extreme cuts to school funding. 10th District legislators, Senator Jim Holzapfel, Assemblymen Greg McGuckin, and Assemblyman Dave Wolfe applaud the school districts and stand with them against any cuts to school funding.

Assemblyman Greg McGuckin (left) and Assemblyman-elect John Catalano (right), both R-Ocean, with Toms River Superintendent Dave Healy during a rally outside the office of Gov. Phil Murphy in Trenton on Dec. 10, 2019, to oppose extreme cuts to school funding. (Full Size)

“We have always been opposed to this disastrous plan and we hope that the voices of these students will be heard by all,” said Holzapfel. “Students from every Toms River school joined together to demonstrate that they will not roll over and allow their sports, music, and arts programs to be canceled. Relief is needed now for these schools and their students who are demanding action from the Governor.”

According to the US Census Bureau, the median income for the entire state is $76,475. Toms River has a median income of $76,051 and Brick Township has a median income of $73,051. Those numbers are a clear indication that these townships are middle class.

“When Governor Murphy was campaigning, he promised to have the backs of the middle class, and no town is more middle class than Toms River,” said McGuckin. “Now that Murphy recognizes ‘Central Jersey exists,’ as he recently stated, he can give us back the money that we rightfully deserve. ”

Schools in the 10th Legislative District have had their funding severely cut under Governor Murphy’s budget, and attempts to have the Department of Education provide full transparency when determining Local Fair Share have been unsuccessful.

The Governor’s new school funding plan will result in additional cuts in each of the next several years to Toms River. The district has already seen the termination of several school employees, and a discontinuation of sports, arts, and extracurricular activities is on the horizon.

“While Toms River is undeniably middle class, the Department of Education has labeled the district as ‘rich’ which has had a detrimental effect on how funding is calculated for our schools,” McGuckin continued. “We have introduced legislation to require the Department of Education to disclose the school funding formulas for all schools throughout the state. This legislation is our only option to ensure full transparency by the DOE with our school districts and taxpayers.”