TPS ENROLLMENT & FUNDING UPDATE
2021.22 - Trenton Public Schools added 92 students to our enrollment total from a year ago. During the pandemic, student enrollment declined in public schools for various reasons. In Trenton, that meant that we went from 2547 students to 2405 students in one calendar year. Our district total for 2021-22 stands at 2497 students. Though we are up this year, we have 50 less students from two years ago, and 88 less than in 2018. What is the significance? That is a $765,600 reduction in recurring revenues. Thus, over a span of three years, this is a loss in our operating budget of almost $2.3 million dollars.
For those that don’t know (or remember), in 1994, Proposal A was passed (the same year that I started in Trenton). This changed school funding from a local base tied to property taxes to a State appropriation known as a foundation allowance for each pupil. Almost half of this money came from additional revenue raised from the sales tax. Though this change occurred 28 years ago, the misconception prevails that property taxes account for local school district funding. In fact, only about 25% of property taxes are directed to local school operations. Thus, the more students enrolled, the more funding that is allocated toward the school district. This shift, coupled with the tie-in to enrollment, was intended to create a more equitable funding process. The bottom line: enrollment determines your budget and public spending determines how much that this will be; moreover, the more that people spend, the more money that is allocated to the School Aid Fund. Thus, if the sales tax on gasoline is removed, this could cause a budget shortfall of up to $680 million dollars for schools across the state (from 6/15-9/15).
Some Notes to Note:
Our new facilities at TPS are top notch and the City of Trenton remains an attractive destination for new families. As in the past, WE need to come together, so that WE can all be a part of the solution for the future. WE must remain committed to academics, athletics, and student opportunities. Trenton Public Schools have been synonymous with educational excellence for over 100 years! Our next chapter must be marked by the same expectation and outcome!
2021.22 - Trenton Public Schools added 92 students to our enrollment total from a year ago. During the pandemic, student enrollment declined in public schools for various reasons. In Trenton, that meant that we went from 2547 students to 2405 students in one calendar year. Our district total for 2021-22 stands at 2497 students. Though we are up this year, we have 50 less students from two years ago, and 88 less than in 2018. What is the significance? That is a $765,600 reduction in recurring revenues. Thus, over a span of three years, this is a loss in our operating budget of almost $2.3 million dollars.
For those that don’t know (or remember), in 1994, Proposal A was passed (the same year that I started in Trenton). This changed school funding from a local base tied to property taxes to a State appropriation known as a foundation allowance for each pupil. Almost half of this money came from additional revenue raised from the sales tax. Though this change occurred 28 years ago, the misconception prevails that property taxes account for local school district funding. In fact, only about 25% of property taxes are directed to local school operations. Thus, the more students enrolled, the more funding that is allocated toward the school district. This shift, coupled with the tie-in to enrollment, was intended to create a more equitable funding process. The bottom line: enrollment determines your budget and public spending determines how much that this will be; moreover, the more that people spend, the more money that is allocated to the School Aid Fund. Thus, if the sales tax on gasoline is removed, this could cause a budget shortfall of up to $680 million dollars for schools across the state (from 6/15-9/15).
Some Notes to Note:
- In 2021-22, for the first time ever, the foundation allowance from the State matched our TPS per pupil foundation allocation. As a result, our Hold Harmless millage was significantly reduced ($285 per pupil = $712,215 less money in our operating budget this year than was anticipated).
- In 2021-22, for the first time ever, the State foundation allowance was equitably distributed across the State as @$8700 was allocated to each district. This happened 28 years after the passage of Proposal A.
- Even with our increase in enrollment in 2021-22. We still had 48 less students than we did in 2020-21. This is $435,000 less money for operations.
- If you took our enrollment number from 2008, we have 375 less students today. This reflects a recurring revenue reduction of $3.4 million.
Our new facilities at TPS are top notch and the City of Trenton remains an attractive destination for new families. As in the past, WE need to come together, so that WE can all be a part of the solution for the future. WE must remain committed to academics, athletics, and student opportunities. Trenton Public Schools have been synonymous with educational excellence for over 100 years! Our next chapter must be marked by the same expectation and outcome!
