New Jersey school districts are getting way less than they hoped from the state to help pay for anti-bullying programs.
In March, the Christie administration announced $1 million in grants to back up the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights after a state panel found the law to be an unfunded mandate on local government and therefore unconstitutional.
Officials received applications from 371 districts with requests totaling nearly $5 million.
Instead of choosing winner and losers, the state awarded each district about 20 percent of its request, according to The Record.
As a result, the Haledon district received just $36, while the Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology alone received $9,000.
Haledon Superintendent Richard Ney says his district was penalized for “playing it straight” with its request.
