NJ Assemblyman Calls Out Education Commissioner Over Toms River Deficit

Assemblyman Greg McGuckin is demanding clarity from New Jersey Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer, questioning how the state’s school funding formula can be considered fair after years of cuts have left Toms River’s public schools on the brink of financial collapse.

The Ocean County lawmaker is requesting an in-person meeting with Dehmer following the Toms River Regional School District’s failure to pass a budget for the 2025-26 school year. Facing a $22.3 million shortfall, the district attempted to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy—an option designed for municipalities to restructure debt. That request was rejected by the state Department of Education, which instead is requiring a 13% local property tax increase to close the gap.

McGuckin, a Republican representing the 10th legislative district, has been outspoken in his criticism of the school aid formula and the opacity with which it’s applied.

“The probability that this funding formula is flawed—and I’ll be honest, I’d like to use a much stronger word—is obvious, no matter what theorem you use to crunch the numbers,” McGuckin said, referencing advanced statistical models. “Of course, we have no idea how Dehmer arrives at these numbers. Or sleeps at night seeing how this is destroying school districts like Toms River.”

Since 2019, Toms River Schools—a district that serves roughly 15,000 students across 18 schools—has seen more than $175 million in state aid reductions. The district has laid off over 250 staff members, eliminated programs, and sold off its administrative headquarters to help close budget gaps. This has come despite multiple property tax hikes above New Jersey’s 2% cap.

In June, the Board of Education took the unprecedented step of refusing to adopt a new budget, citing a lack of viable financial options. Superintendent Michael Citta warned in a recent interview that without relief, class sizes could skyrocket to 150 students per teacher, and as many as 300 additional staff members could lose their jobs.

The New Jersey Department of Education, in a statement, acknowledged the “difficulty inherent in school district budgeting decisions,” but emphasized that districts must meet their legal obligations to adopt responsible budgets. “The weight of these decisions only affirms—not excuses—the importance of every district leader to deliver upon this most fundamental obligation,” the statement read. “On this vital measure, the Board has fallen short.”

McGuckin has now issued an open invitation to Commissioner Dehmer, offering to host a meeting at his district office or travel with the full Toms River Board of Education to Dehmer’s office in Trenton. His goal: to gain a clear, transparent explanation of how the state determines aid cuts and why Toms River has been disproportionately affected.

“My teachers always told me to show my work,” McGuckin said. “I want Dehmer to show his work.”

In 2020, Toms River joined five other school districts in suing the Department of Education over a lack of transparency in aid calculations. The districts won that lawsuit and a follow-up case in 2022, compelling the state to release the algorithm used to allocate funds. However, critics argue that since only the state has access to and control over that algorithm, how it functions in practice remains largely opaque.

Democratic lawmakers in New Jersey have expressed concern over the Toms River situation but generally support the state’s school funding formula as a tool to advance equity across districts. Many have emphasized the importance of directing resources to areas with greater concentrations of at-risk students and have cautioned against changes that could widen opportunity gaps elsewhere in the state.

Still, the disparity between aid increases in some urban districts and cuts to suburban districts like Toms River continues to draw scrutiny from both sides of the aisle. As school boards finalize their summer programming and prepare for the fall semester, calls for transparency and legislative review of the funding formula are expected to intensify.

For now, McGuckin says he and his constituents won’t be satisfied with generalities.

“Toms River students and Toms River taxpayers deserve answers,” he said. “Not bureaucratic platitudes.”