Toms River board adopts resolution to signaled 99.9% tax-levy increase if state aid arrives

The Toms River Regional Schools Board of Education on Monday approved a resolution saying it will increase the district’s 2024–25 tax levy by up to 99.9% if the state provides at least $12,358,759 in additional aid under Assembly Bill A4161.

Board members debated the measure for more than an hour, weighing immediate operational needs against long-term concerns about the state funding formula. Mr. Burns read the resolution aloud, noting the district’s cumulative loss of roughly $137 million in state aid over seven years and describing A4161’s stabilized school budget aid grant program, which the resolution says would provide grants equal to 45% of a district’s state aid reduction.

Supporters argued the conditional resolution is a pragmatic step to keep schools functioning. Board member Palazo said she would vote yes on the resolution to signal cooperation with state leaders but cautioned she would oppose a tax increase absent the promised additional funding. Board member Nardini said the district must "keep these doors open for our children" and cast a yes vote.

Opponents said the plan does not fix what they described as a flawed funding formula. "This is not a solution," Board member Lamb said during discussion, adding the measure was "a Band‑Aid when you need a tourniquet." Members who opposed the resolution voiced concern that even a 99.9% cap allowance would leave the district well below adequacy and that repeated reliance on tax-cap changes does not address the underlying formula.

Residents who spoke during public comment reflected that divide. Deborah Martin of Ortley Beach said she opposed another tax increase, describing the strain on homeowners who already pay substantial school taxes. "How much — am I gonna have to take a third job?" she asked the board. By contrast, resident Rachel Ralado urged the board to accept the state’s offer, saying "it may not be what fixes everything, but it's what's best for the kids."

The resolution passed on roll call (Capone: yes; How: yes; Kidney: yes; Lamb: yes; Morrison: no; Pascarella: no; Palazo: no; Nardini: yes; Ean: yes). The board’s vote does not immediately raise taxes; it signals the board would vote to raise the levy in a future budget process if the specified state aid materializes.

Next steps: board leaders said they are in ongoing discussions with the governor’s office and the Department of Education about the district’s funding, and the resolution will be communicated to state officials as a formal expression of the board’s conditions for approving a tax increase.