As Gov. Phil Murphy gave his final State of the State address on Tuesday, January 14, South Orange-Maplewood Supt. of Schools Jason Bing visited Trenton to advocate for increased funding for schools, with specific requests around fully funding extraordinary aid, increasing funding for transportation, and more.
State aid numbers for schools for the 2025-26 fiscal years should be released shortly after Murphy gives his final budget address in late February. Bing’s letter comes as the district and South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education work to improve the local budget process after a rough 2024-25 budgeting cycle that saw cuts to staff and programming. At a Board of Education retreat in November, Bing, who started in the job last June — after the 2024-25 budget process — told the Board that he and the SOMSD administration are changing the way the budget is created, and incorporating more best practices to make it smoother and more transparent. Bing and the BOE will be working with new district Business Administrator Imani Moody on the budget.
Read Bing’s letter to families here:
Dear South Orange & Maplewood School District parents and guardians,
We hope this message finds you well and ready for the year ahead. As we work to secure the resources necessary to support our students, we must come together as a community to address the school funding challenges facing our district and many others.
Superintendent Jason Bing recently outlined critical priorities regarding state aid funding during discussions in Trenton on January 14th. These priorities are vital to ensuring financial stability, equity, and excellence in education for our district and beyond. To amplify these efforts, we encourage you to contact our local representatives and express your support for reforms that will benefit our schools and all communities statewide.
Key Advocacy Points
When reaching out, you may wish to include the following key points:
- Addressing Funding Instability
Advocate for implementing funding ceilings and floors to guarantee districts receive at least a 2% annual increase, providing consistent financial stability.
Support raising the property tax cap from 2% to 4%, enabling districts to generate critical revenue without delays caused by public referendums.
Call for a revision to the local fair share calculation by adopting a rolling average of property values and shifting to median income metrics to ensure fairness across communities. - Improving Budget Timelines
Request an extension to the time school districts have to develop budgets after the Governor’s annual address, allowing for thoughtful planning aligned with updated funding levels. - Fully Funding Extraordinary Aid
Advocate for the full funding of extraordinary aid to support students with the greatest needs. Currently, this aid is funded at only 70% of the formula, leaving many children without the resources they deserve. - Setting Realistic Spending Targets
Call for adequacy spending targets that accurately reflect the true cost of providing a high-quality education to every student. - Fully funding Transportation Aid
Transportation costs have skyrocketed; we are asking the state to fulfill its duty and fully fund transportation aid.
Contacting Your Representatives
We are members of New Jersey’s Legislative District 28. Below is the contact information for our local representatives:
State Senator:
Sen. Renee C. Burgess
660 Stuyvesant Avenue, Irvington, NJ 07111
Phone: (862) 231-6577
Fax: (862) 955-3966
Email: [email protected]
State Assemblyperson:
Asw. Garnet R. Hall
511 Valley Street, Maplewood, NJ 07040
Phone: (973) 762-1886
Email: [email protected]
How You Can Help
Your voice matters. We encourage you to reach out to your local representatives and include these talking points in your messages.
A sample email or letter might begin with:
“I am a parent/guardian in the South Orange Maplewood School District, and I am deeply concerned about the financial challenges facing our schools. To ensure that every student receives the high-quality education they deserve, I urge you to support measures that address funding stability, improve budgeting timelines, fully fund extraordinary aid and set realistic spending targets. Specifically, I support…”
Feel free to personalize your message and share your unique perspective on how these issues impact your family and our community.
With your help, we can advocate for the changes needed to ensure our students thrive. Thank you for your continued commitment to excellence in education.
In partnership,
Mr. Jason Bing
Superintendent of Schools
Read more here:
- SOMSD Board of Ed Retreat Focuses on Improving the Budget Process
- ‘Tonight is Not Easy’ — South Orange-Maplewood Board of Ed Passes School Budget, 28 Positions to be Cut
- South Orange-Maplewood User-Friendly School Budget Provides Few Insights
- South Orange-Maplewood Board of Ed Votes Against Renewing Business Administrator
