Facing bankruptcy, Toms River schools defy New Jersey education officials
Rick Rickman
Published: July 2, 2025
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- Toms River refuses to pass budget amid $175 million in state cuts
- School officials won’t follow orders to stop programs
- Taxes would need to go up by nearly 13%
TOMS RIVER — The largest school district in Ocean County, on the verge of declaring bankruptcy due to funding cuts, is slamming the Murphy administration for demanding that it stop student services.
On Monday, the Toms River school board refused to pass a budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The district, which serves over 14,600 students, has lost $175 million in recent years due to changes in the state funding formula.
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Local lawmakers say the problem is Toms River’s spending, it’s Gov. Murphy’s cuts.
In a statement, a group of Republican lawmakers representing parts of Ocean County condemned changes to New Jersey’s school funding formula.
“Toms River is one of the most efficient and fiscally responsible districts in the state. This is a revenue problem, created entirely by a deeply flawed and politically driven funding formula, implemented with zero transparency and even less accountability,” the group of state lawmakers said.
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Ahhh, Gooferment Skrules, the flash point of Taxpayer unrest.
Putting mytin foil hat on, might the “State” currently in the hands of the Democrats be seen as punishing Ocean County for its continued Republican support? I’m sure that thought NEVER entered the “good” politicians and bureaucrats, who only want the best for the State, its “subjects”, and the Taxpayer aka slaves who pay for “good Gooferment”. Argh!
Sorry but it all goes to the core of several issues (imho):
- Should we have Gooferment Skrules with the “Teachers’ Union” controlling State politics?
- Should “taxes” be collected at the State level or should they only be collected at the lowest local level? (Remember the Golden Rule — he or she, who has the gold, makes the rules.)
- Shouldn’t the Taxpayers’ have a representative body that can veto taxes? (When I has a house in Seaside Heights, I paid taxes but had no voice in objecting to tax hikes or intrusive regulations.)
Yesterday, I proposed my plan to end State funded Gooferment Skrules over 20, 40, or 60 years. I was getting traction until the “leadership” of the Hands Across New Jersey tax revolt group sold out to the Republican Party establishment.
Maybe some young conservative can pick up that “flag” and advance it over the goal line.
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