Is Mayor Carafa’s assertion accurate?

This appeared on northjersey.com tonight:

“Lodi Mayor Emil Carafa, who also is principal of a Lodi Elementary School, said his district is receiving 43 percent of aid owed to the district under the state formula despite rising costs for special education and increased enrollment. His school has lost guidance counselors and an elementary band to cope with the shortfall, he said.”

Is Mayor Carafa’s assertion accurate?

Link to article:

http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/education/2017/02/14/school-distrists-share-money-woes-senate-panel/97877676/

I hope Lodi gets more state aid.  But in the meantime, plenty of money can be saved without hurting education.

It’s hard to listen to someone advocating for more money when they want to spend $7.5M on an administration building.  


Side Note:

1. Lodi's user friendly budgets show that Lodi's enrollment really hasn't increased over the last decade.
2. When did Washington School lose guidance counselors?  Because Lodi had money to double its number of "Supervisors of Curriculum & Instruction". 
3. Lodi receives the second most state aid in Bergen County. Mr. Carafa should explain that 43% number.  My letter to the editor on the subject one year ago:
   
   
   
   Lodi uses state aid poorly
   
   
   Regarding "No cuts in state school aid" (Page L-1, Feb. 20, 2016) :
   
   
   Lodi will receive $14,508,710 in state aid, the second most in Bergen County behind Garfield, which was an Abbott district.
   
   Compared with two neighboring towns, Lodi will receive about $13 million more than both Saddle Brook and Hasbrouck Heights.
   
   
   Compared with two larger urban districts, Lodi will receive about $1.5 million more than Hackensack and $3.6 million more than Bergenfield.
   
   
   With the infusion of all this state aid, Lodi politicians still manage to give Lodi one of the highest tax rates in Bergen County and a district performing at the bottom.
   
   
   Why is there no accountability coming from the state after it disburses almost $15 million in state aid to Lodi? Is the state aware that the Lodi Board of Education is spending $7.5 million on a lavish office building for about 24 employees?
   
   
   Governor Christie ran as a reformer and has turned out to be anything but. He is part of the status quo, enabling Lodi politicians to waste millions of state tax dollars.
   
   
   Ryan Curioni
   Lodi, Feb. 23