The Shamong Township School District was gearing up to receive preschool aid (PEA) for fiscal year 2026, but what it calls “a significant development” regarding that funding has halted expansion.
Superintendent Mayreni Fermin-Cannon sent a letter to township families and community members on Aug. 7 relaying the “disheartening” news.
“Recent changes at the state level have impacted the state’s funding structure,” she wrote, “and will unfortunately preclude our participation in this round of preschool expansion aid.”
Effective July 7, expansion awards for districts receiving PEA for the first time in the 2026 fiscal year will be administered through a three-year, cost-sharing methodology pilot program. Under that program, the state Department of Education’s PEA award will be based on the district’s Aid Percentage, defined as the greater of 40% or the percentage derived from dividing the district’s equalization aid by its total budget.
“While covering the remaining 60% of program costs by adjusting and raising local taxes without requiring voter approval is an alternative, the district has made the decision not to pursue this option,” Fermin-Cannon explained.
Since Shamong is a community located in the southeastern section of Burlington County, 55% of its 45 square miles are occupied by the state-owned Wharton Tract that is protected against any development. The township is also under the protection of the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan.
The district has two schools: Indian Mills, which covers grades preschool disabled through fourth grade, and the Indian Mills Memorial School for fifth through eighth grades.
In its 2025-’26 budget presentation in May, district officials explained why they were applying for free preschool program funding. Providing a free, full-day program will ensure every 3- and 4-year old has access to a high-quality program aligned with the New Jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards, officials said.
Enrollment for the entire district in the 2025-’26 school year was projected at 631, a decrease of 23 students from the previous year. Pre-K enrollment was expected to increase from 20 to 25 in 2024-’25.
The preschool program would feature developmentally appropriate curricula by certified teachers and small class sizes. Increased access to high-quality, early education yields higher academic achievement, better social-emotional development and increased high-school graduation rates.
The community could benefit from the program by increasing enrollment and attracting more families to Shamong.
The state had previously covered 100% of the associated costs for the preschool program’s first year. After that, the state would continue to cover those costs, with the exception of transportation.
“In reality, this shift transfers significant financial responsibility to local districts and serves as a test to determine whether such a model could be sustained statewide in the future,” Fermin-Cannon noted. “As a small district, Shamong has experienced steady declines in state aid over the past several years. This continued loss of funding has required us to make difficult budgeting decisions to preserve the quality of our existing programming.
“Participating in the new cost-sharing preschool pilot would require the district to absorb a substantial portion of startup and operational costs,” she added, “something that, given our current fiscal landscape, would only be possible through a local tax increase.
“After careful consideration of the financial implications and input from district leadership and our board of education, we have determined that we are unable to move forward with an application at this time.”
Despite the changes, Fermin-Cannon said the school district “remains committed to expanded preschool.
“We will also continue to monitor state initiatives and remain open to participating in future preschool expansion opportunities that offer sustainable, fully funded models,” she said.
