Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe TRENTON, N.J., Nov. 16 (UPI) -- The New Jersey Legislature wants to get rid of 23 "non-operating school districts" that have no schools but have boards and budgets. The districts are a result of the state's love affair with local control, the New York Times reports. There are 566 municipalities and 615 districts. Advertisement One consequence is that New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the country and the highest total tax burden. The 23 non-operating districts, which are responsible collectively for 2,172 students, have become something of a symbol to those who want to consolidate local services. "It just shows how crazy our patchwork quilt of school districts is," state Sen. Bob Smith, a Democrat, told the Times. "If you sat down to develop the most inefficient and wasteful education system, you couldn't do any better." But one obstacle to consolidation is that residents of many of the non-operating districts think they have a sweet deal, even with hefty tuition payments to the neighboring districts that actually educate their students.
