Little Egg Harbor board approves preliminary budget, seeks $3.03 million in state tax-levy incentive aid

The Little Egg Harbor Township Board of Education on March 2 approved initial finance items and authorized the district to apply for roughly $3,031,696 in state tax-levy incentive aid aimed at funding classroom staff and avoiding educational layoffs.

The action, taken at a special meeting, moves the budget process forward to a workshop on April 15 and a final budget vote on April 29. Board members said the application will focus on staffing costs — teachers, child-study team members and other positions that directly affect students — because state guidance indicates that focusing the request on educational programs improves the chance of approval. "This district is roughly $10,000,000 short of its local fair share," a district official, Robert, said, explaining that the state’s adequacy formula puts district needs at about $30 million while the local fair-share figure is about $24.8 million.

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