New Jersey has about 600 school districts, more than the total number of municipalities in the state.
Some Salem and state officials said they were open to considering a county-wide consolidation plan.
He also said Sussex and Hunterdon counties, relatively large counties with low populations, were also good candidates for possible school regionalization. Critics say the overabundance of school districts in New Jersey — which all have their own superintendents, administrative staff, contracts and curriculum — drives up operating budgets and contributes to some of the highest per-pupil costs in the nation. Most of that money comes from local school taxes, which contribute to New Jersey’s high property taxes.
Though New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the nation, having hundreds of school districts may also help create racially segregated schools, critics say. Because students usually stay within their municipal borders for their entire K-12 education, they may go to mostly white or mostly Black or Hispanic elementary, middle and high schools, depending on where they live.