More of the budget comes from the state than from local taxes

What happened

Egg Harbor Township is unusual: its 2026-27 plan takes $90,304,320 in state aid against a local levy of $84,542,540, so Trenton supplies more of the general fund than local property tax does. The audited accounts record that state aid rose $3,154,496 for 2025-26 because of additional funding required to ensure fair funding, and that the levy that year created $3,995,198 of banked cap the district can draw on later. Against that, the general fund spent $4,106,276 more than it took in during 2024-25, and spending per pupil rises to $23,111 while enrolment is expected to edge down to 7,414.

Why it matters to families

A district that leans on state aid is exposed to decisions made in Trenton rather than in the township, and this one is spending more than it receives in the same year it emptied its capital reserve for the building programme. That combination is what narrows the options if aid stops growing.

The evidence

The 2026-27 user-friendly budget filing shows general-fund state aid of $90,304,320 against a local tax levy of $84,542,540, a comparative cost of $23,111 per pupil and estimated October 2026 enrolment of 7,414. The audited 2024-25 report records general fund revenues of $205,284,800 against expenditures of $209,391,076, a fund-balance fall of $4,106,276, and states that 'The 2025-26 tax levy is $88,355,535, which created banked cap of $3,995,198' and that state aid 'increased by $3,154,496 from the 2024-25 amended allocation due to additional funding required to ensure fair funding.'

The source