Impact Aid
Approximately one-tenth of our $3.4 million school budget is from the federal government grant known as Impact Aid. The grant is provided to Sandyston-Walpack Consolidated School as a result of the federal government’s purchase of private properties in Sandyston and Walpack Townships back in the early 1970’s for the Tocks Island Project. The federal government had originally planned to create a reservoir on the land. Although the federal government abandoned the project, it still owns the land, which resulted in a loss of property taxes from those privately-owned homes and properties for the local school district. The federal government partially makes up for that loss by granting the district a percentage of the funds lost to maintain our budget. The district currently receives approximately $362,000 annually. However, the monies are not guaranteed from year to year and have decreased over time. Sandyston-Walpack School and Kittatinny Regional are members of the National Association of Impacted Schools (NAFIS) and the Federal Lands Impacted Schools Association (FLISA), which lobby Congress to continue to fund the Impact Aid grant. Other school districts that receive federal Impact Aid include areas of national parks, military bases, and Indian lands. Some of the other federally-impacted school districts in New Jersey are Rockaway (Picatinny Arsenal), Burlington and North Hanover (Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst). Each year the Superintendent attends the NAFIS and FLISA Conferences, which provide an opportunity to meet with staffers from our Senators’ and Representatives' offices to rally their continued support for Impact Aid in the federal budget. The importance of receiving the Impact Aid cannot be understated. These funds enable us to keep Sandyston-Walpack’s programming, personnel, instructional supplies, and maintenance of the facility at a level of excellence that would not be possible without the federal grant. Please visit the NAFIS and FLISA websites to learn more about the work of these important groups.