Sequestration Could Impact Paramus Schools

The Paramus school district faces the deadline to submit the 2013-2014 budget to the county next week with uncertainty as to whether $85 billion in federal "sequestration" spending cuts will be stopped by Congress before Friday and how it will impact the district.

Superintendent of Schools Ken Rota says they are planning for the possibilities. Rota says the school board is now waiting to hear from Governor Christie who will make his state budget address Tuesday. The Paramus district is then scheduled to receive state aid amounts before Friday, according to Rota.

The district will then have to submit a tentative budget to the county for approval by next week. A public budget hearing is set for March 25 according to the district's website.

Last year for the 2012-2013 school year the district expected state aid to remain flat at $1.4 million from the previous year, but was for a total of about $1.9 million in aid for the year.

If Congress fails to halt the "sequestration" by Friday, New Jersey could lose nearly $12 million in funding for primary and secondary education, according to figures released by the White House. 

Without action from Congress, the sequester would go into effect automatically on March 1, reducing spending by the state in a number of areas, including education, the environment, health, military and law enforcement, the White House said.

The cuts, according to the Obama administration, could jeopardize 160 teacher and aide jobs in New Jersey, as well as cut funding to 60 schools and 15,000 students.

Funding would be cut to the early childhood education program Head Start, vaccination programs for children and health services for seniors, among other things, and thousands of civilian Department of Defense employees could be furloughed, according to the White House.

The total federal spending cuts under the sequester add up to about $1.2 trillion over the next nine years.

Republicans have accused the president of using the impending cuts for political gain.

President Barack Obama's plan asks for increased tax revenues to offset some of the trillion-dollar cuts.

Teresa Akesten contributed to this article.