Monday, September 14, 2015

The Highest Taxed School Districts in New Jersey

FYI, I would like to share with you New Jersey's fifty highest taxed (or "overtaxed," depending on your POV) school districts.

This post is a way of highlighting new data I have on Local Fair Share.

Real Local Tax Levies versus Local Fair Share 

You can judge overtaxing in two ways: taxes relative to the value of the property and taxes relative to the incomes of the residents.  New Jersey's formula for Local Fair Share for schools factors in both of these considerations by using  a district's Equalized Valuation and its Total Income.

The formula for Local Fair Share is the following:

Equalized Valuation * 0.014909959 * 50% + Total Income * 0.052921406 * 50% = Local Fair Share

CountyDistrict NamePrevious Year Tax LevyLocal Fair ShareTax Levy as percentage of Local Fair ShareAid Deficit/Surplus Per StudentSpending Per Student
PASSAICMANCHESTER REGIONAL$10,345,405$5,835,285177.29%-$10,737$12,925
HUNTERDONMILFORD BORO$1,783,737$1,088,988163.80%$1,223$20,034
CAMDENWOODLYNNE BORO$2,116,037$1,365,093155.01%-$5,982$12,241
UNIONWINFIELD TWP$1,526,912$1,002,427152.32%-$2,239$15,918
UNIONLINDEN CITY$84,115,176$59,855,353140.53%-5,275$15,807
HUNTERDONCALIFON BORO$2,067,948$1,479,498139.77%$1,700$19,937
HUNTERDONHAMPTON BORO$1,632,895$1,198,995136.19%3,957$21,318
SUSSEXNEWTON TOWN$12,137,057$9,060,945133.95%-4,101$15,315
BURLINGTONBEVERLY CITY$2,817,744$2,133,890132.05%-$1,189$15,035
BERGENLODI BOROUGH$38,330,150$29,057,918131.91%-$6,179$11,889
SUSSEXHAMBURG BORO$3,823,878$2,916,665131.10%$1,942$18,998
CAMDENLAWNSIDE BORO$4,063,082$3,123,694130.07%-$1,844$17,770
WARRENFRANKLIN TWP (Warren County)$3,718,722$2,870,672129.54%$2,414$17,378
BURLINGTONSPRINGFIELD TWP (Burlington County)$3,450,249$2,664,543129.49%$2,608$19,342
SUSSEXFREDON TWP$4,409,628$3,422,018128.86%$754$16,417
ESSEXWEST ORANGE TOWN$125,184,960$97,508,251128.38%-$3,016$16,660
HUNTERDONHIGH BRIDGE BORO$5,281,889$4,125,458128.03%$722$18,530
SUSSEXHIGH POINT REGIONAL$15,612,914$12,214,061127.83%$2,828$18,821
BERGENBOGOTA BORO$14,026,842$11,040,172127.05%-$3,153$13,916
MORRISMORRIS HILLS REGIONAL$53,092,975$41,800,451127.02%-$707$17,648
MORRISMOUNT OLIVE TWP$60,863,620$48,420,349125.70%-$1,966$14,969
PASSAICBLOOMINGDALE BORO$15,648,198$12,528,753124.90%979$18,738
BERGENRIDGEFIELD PARK TWP$22,892,388$18,363,100124.67%-$5,706$13,003
BERGENWALDWICK BORO$26,771,760$21,558,824124.18%-$874$15,654
MORRISWHARTON BORO$8,465,542$6,820,819124.11%-$5,385$16,358
PASSAICPOMPTON LAKES BORO$22,768,756$18,424,630123.58%-$1,981$16,390
GLOUCESTERNATIONAL PARK BORO$1,859,429$1,505,815123.48%-$1,881$14,402
ATLANTICATLANTIC CITY$118,426,947$96,063,544123.28%-$4,526$20,826
GLOUCESTERGATEWAY REGIONAL$9,388,159$7,690,192122.08%-$2,969$16,770
BURLINGTONBASS RIVER TWP$1,346,565$1,105,809121.77%$3,144$16,436
HUNTERDONBETHLEHEM TWP$6,899,434$5,700,125121.04%$2,471$17,721
SUSSEXMONTAGUE TWP$5,667,385$4,688,921120.87%$1,294$18,210
HUNTERDONHOLLAND TWP$8,634,029$7,159,625120.59%$1,083$17,441
CUMBERLANDGREENWICH TWP$781,791$648,807120.50%$5,667$18,995
CAMDENSTERLING HIGH SCHOOL DIST$6,444,937$5,349,558120.48%-$4,077$15,856
CAMDENPINE HILL BORO$10,534,434$8,760,189120.25%-$2,818$15,631
WARRENKNOWLTON TWP$2,686,000$2,245,495119.62%$2,924$16,749
SOMERSETNORTH PLAINFIELD BORO$28,490,467$23,867,529119.37%-$6,021$15,121
MONMOUTHRED BANK REGIONAL$20,190,016$16,921,577119.32%-$191$13,130
BERGENNORTHVALE BORO$8,341,911$7,004,299119.10%-$451$15,853
SUSSEXWALLKILL VALLEY REGIONAL$9,328,312$7,854,253118.77%$1,894$17,037
SUSSEXSTILLWATER TWP$4,017,816$3,411,521117.77%$1,894$17,020
WARRENOXFORD TWP$3,521,660$2,992,956117.66%-$1,601$13,839
SUSSEXSUSSEX-WANTAGE REGIONAL$15,310,804$13,055,858117.27%$2,435$17,577
MORRISROCKAWAY TWP$41,819,183$35,732,283117.03%-$110$17,819
BERGENLITTLE FERRY BORO$17,732,078$15,179,972116.81%-$4,414$12,126
CAMDENLAUREL SPRINGS BORO$2,650,308$2,270,589116.72%-$4,519$11,898
PASSAICWEST MILFORD TWP$53,042,837$45,525,080116.51%$1,210$16,441
SUSSEXFRANKFORD TWP(BRANCHVILLE BORO)$1,234,120$1,059,695116.46%$3,006$17,911
BERGENRIVER DELL REGIONAL$27,786,252$23,891,044116.30%-$594$15,434
MONMOUTHROOSEVELT BORO$1,591,768$1,375,223115.75%$572$16,999
-$937

The formula for Local Fair Share isn't perfect but it does give a basic picture of relative tax effort between different school districts. 

These highest taxed districts are underrated by $937 per student, on average, but there are 22 which are actually overaided.  The highest tax districts thus come in two overlapping clusters.  There are districts that struggling to make up for inadequate state aid and districts that are simply to have higher per pupil than average spending.

The districts that have high taxes to make up aid deficits have an (unweighted) average per pupil spending of $15,179, which is at the state's average, despite how heavily they tax themselves.

The districts that accept high taxes and are also overaided, spend an average of $18,093 per student.

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