Toms River refuses to pass budget amid $175 million in state cuts
School officials won’t follow orders to stop programs
Taxes would need to go up by nearly 13%
TOMS RIVER — The largest school district in Ocean County, on the verge of declaring bankruptcy due to funding cuts, is slamming the Murphy administration for demanding that it stop student services.
On Monday, the Toms River school board refused to pass a budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The district, which serves over 14,600 students, has lost $175 million in recent years due to changes in the state funding formula.
Ashley Lamb, the school board president, said the district would have to raise taxes by 12.9% to balance the budget. And that’s on top of a 9.3%…
