The Asbury Park Board of Education postponed its vote on a 2020-21 school budget this week that would increase taxes by 22 percent in the midst of the coronavirus-imposed depression, and locals are livid.

Asbury Park Superintendent of Schools Sancha Gray told NJ.com the intent is to raise $2 million to offset a $5 million cut in state aid that was baked into the state funding formula three years ago. Asbury Park is one of 200 districts facing cuts this year, a situation that’s forcing officials to consider tax hikes, layoffs, and the elimination of some sports, theater or academic programs.

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In New Jersey, school districts that hold election in November do not need voter approval for the budget, but in a telephonic meeting on Wednesday local taxpayers offered their thoughts anyway.

“People are struggling and this is not a time to raise the school budget,” one speaker said.

“If you adopt this budget, know that you will break people and force some to lose their homes.”

Others who chimed in at the meeting questioned how officials can predict a budget in the middle of a pandemic when it’s unclear whether students will even return in the fall, NJ.com reports.

The school board ultimately voted to table discussion on the budget until May 7, the state deadline. The proposal would increase the local levy from $8.9 million to $10.9 million, which equates to $329 per year on a home worth $700,000, Gray told NJ.com.

The NJ School Performance Summary Report for Asbury Park City school district shows only 15.3% of students there meet or exceeded state standards in English, while the result for math is “not shown to protect student privacy.”

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Statistics for English and math student growth and graduation fall well behind the state average, though the district boasts a chronic absenteeism rate that’s nearly double the average, according to the 2017-18 report, the most recent available.

The district has a long history of academic and financial mismanagement, and is currently under the control of a state-appointed fiscal manager, who signed off on the proposed 22% tax hike, NJ.com reports.

“Though we’ve made considerable gains, we’re still not where we want to be,” Gray told the news site.

Data USA reports the median household income in the city of about 16,000 is a little under $40,000 a year, with the median property value of about $335,500.

The population of Asbury Park, NJ is 42.2% black or African American alone, 30.2% Hispanic or Latino, and 25.3% white. The home ownership rate is about 20% and roughly 30% of Asbury Park residents live in poverty, according to the data.