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Assembly lawmakers approved a bill Monday intended to help school districts that have seen by extending one-time grants and allowing them to hike local taxes above the state-mandated 2% cap without getting voter approval.

, approved in a 51-20 vote almost entirely along party lines, would allow districts that have seen cuts since the 2020-21 school year to raise their levies by up to 9.9%, with hikes capped to the amount of state aid the district has lost over that period.

鈥淲e鈥檙e here today to present a solution for this year. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e here under a short time frame. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 happening quickly 鈥� because school boards must act,鈥� said Assemblyman Roy Freiman (D-Somerset), the bill鈥檚 prime sponsor.

The bill鈥檚 proponents have cast it as a sorely needed Band-Aid to address steep swings in state aid that roughly a third of New Jersey鈥檚 school districts have seen annually since 2018. That鈥檚 when lawmakers approved a bill, called S2, meant to shift aid from historically overfunded districts to historically underfunded ones.

Though they were controversial from the outset, the aid adjustments have drawn consternation from lawmakers and school officials after rising home valuations and inflationary pressures led to state aid reductions that were far steeper than anticipated.

In the coming school year, 140 districts face nearly $106 million in combined cuts, with the reductions ranging from $989 in West Wildwood to $10.4 million in Long Branch.

Republicans largely opposed the bill, favoring a competing measure sponsored by Assemblyman Brian Rumpf (R-Ocean) that would cap school aid cuts to 1%. GOP legislators said lawmakers should instead look to make permanent changes to the school funding formula signed into law in 2008.

鈥淪chool board members in the 24th Legislative District are not asking for a mechanism to dramatically increase property taxes above that which they are currently allowed. What they鈥檙e asking for is fair school funding from the state of New Jersey,鈥� said Assemblyman Mike Inganamort (R-Morris).

Six Republicans 鈥� Assemblymen Michael Torrissi, Erik Simonsen, Antwan McClellan, Alex Sauickie, Robert Clifton, and Rumpf 鈥� voted in favor of the bill that passed Monday. Democratic Assemblymen Dan Hutchison and Cody Miller voted no.

Separate provisions of the bill would create a $71.4 million grant program meant to defray two-thirds of cuts proposed for the coming school year in affected districts.

Districts could receive the grants if they face a state aid reduction for the 2024-2025 school year. Schools receiving such grants are barred from cutting staff past what is needed to account for changes in enrollment.

Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie (D-Essex), who is East Newark鈥檚 superintendent, said school budget timelines made Republican urgings against the bill untenable, noting officials have just weeks to finalize budgets amid still-shifting aid figures.

鈥淓ither it鈥檚 Christmas, and we get our funding, or Krampus comes and takes the floor from under us. We cannot mitigate as superintendents 鈥� within the timeline that we have to present budgets, to rehire teachers by May 15th 鈥� to do what you鈥檙e asking us to do,鈥� she said.

Lawmakers are exploring changes to the state鈥檚 funding formula that would bring some uncovered expenses, like certain transportation costs, under its auspices, as the state approaches the final school aid increase called for by S2.

Some Republicans urged their Democratic counterparts to speed up that process.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not like a phenomenon of the weather, that you just watch it come down and it affects our school districts in some strange way,鈥� said Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-Morris). 鈥淵ou鈥檙e the majority party. If you don鈥檛 like the school funding formula, change it. If you think it has all these awful effects, let鈥檚 do a new one.鈥�

Acting Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer last week told Assembly lawmakers the department expects outsized changes to state aid to , though some shifts will still be caused by other factors, like changes to enrollment.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle on Monday signaled skepticism over the supposed end of steep aid swings.

鈥淲e still are going to have to come together to address the bigger issue, which is what鈥檚 going to happen in out years,鈥� Freiman said. 鈥淲e still are faced with the scenario of next year: What do they do?鈥�

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