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Vernon board endorses bill A4860, citing limits on local development and a potential $5 million boost
Summary
The Vernon Township School District board unanimously adopted a resolution supporting state bill A4860, which would provide supplemental aid to districts limited by Highlands/Pinelands development restrictions. Board members said the measure could bring about $5 million in new annual aid to Vernon if passed and signed.
The Vernon Township School District Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt a resolution endorsing New Jersey Assembly/Senate bill A4860, saying the legislation would provide supplemental state aid to districts whose development is curtailed by Highlands or Pinelands protections.
Board members said the measure is intended to recognize communities whose ability to generate ratables is constrained by environmental and land-use rules. "This will mean $5,000,000 to Vernon Township if it passes through the legislature and gets signed into law," one board member said in the discussion, urging colleagues to support the resolution. Staff summarized the draft resolution and read its language aloud before the vote.
Administration staff explained the resolution endorses bipartisan legislation described as the Fairness for School Districts in Development-Restricted Areas Act and asked the board to forward a certified copy to the bill’s sponsors and state leaders. Staff also briefed the board on why district aid differs from the formula’s raw calculations: the state applies a 6% cap on increases to any district’s state aid in the governor’s budget this year, which limited Vernon’s increase even though the formula’s line-by-line calculation would have indicated a larger amount.
The board discussed political and practical considerations briefly but moved the measure forward without amendment. The motion to adopt the resolution was made and seconded, and a roll-call vote recorded all board members in favor; the motion carried.
Because the resolution is an expression of support for pending state legislation, it does not change district revenues immediately. Any change in district funding depends on enactment of A4860 and allocation decisions in a future state budget.
The board said it will transmit a certified copy of the adopted resolution to the bill sponsors and other state officials for consideration.
The board moved on to other agenda items following the vote.
