As the school bells ring across New Jersey this fall of 2025, for thousands of students in districts like Middletown, Jackson, and Neptune, the return to classrooms is anything but normal. Instead of excitement over new teachers and fresh supplies, families are grappling with the fallout from Governor Phil Murphy’s school funding formula—a policy that has gutted budgets in suburban and rural districts, forcing draconian cuts, teacher layoffs, school closures, mergers, and skyrocketing property taxes.
