Credit: (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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In the face of protests and legal challenges, the Murphy administration and legislative leaders have been adamant in staying the course on their multiyear school funding plans that include big increases to previously underfunded districts and cuts to certain districts.
But tucked in as the very last provision in the latest state budget may be a reprieve for those now contesting those cuts, offering some hope — although maybe fleeting — that their state aid could be restored.
The 279-page budget approved by the Legislature and signed by Murphy last month includes a fine-print provision on its final page that says the state will indeed provide additional funds if it was found to be falling short of certain requirements under the massive federal American Rescue Plan.