“The problem is seven, going on eight, years of Governor Christie’s stubborn refusal to put any new state aid to invest any new money over an extended period of time,” Mr. Sciarra said.

Some districts in the state, however, are actually overfunded. Places like Jersey City, Hoboken and Asbury Park — cities that have gentrified — are receiving more money than they are owed from the state. A loophole in the formula allows those cities to continue getting the same aid even after the student population has shrunk or property tax revenue increases.

In his February budget address, Mr. Christie criticized the funding formula, calling it unfair. “Certain municipalities are ripping off the state; certain school districts are being ripped off,” he said. Mr. Christie had promoted a new formula that would set aside the same amount for each public school student, regardless of income. But critics called the proposal unfair to low-income districts. Now, Mr. Christie has asked the Legislature to come up with a new funding plan.

Any solution would most likely pit district against district and the needs of property owners against the needs of public school students. And emotions are rising. In Clifton, students staged a walkout. In Paterson, one of the state’s poorest cities, hundreds of teachers have been laid off.

When state legislators recently held a budget hearing, parents and district administrators packed the room to plead for more funding. Valerie Freeman, a parent who lives in Paterson, said nurses and substance abuse counselors had been cut throughout the district.

“Most of our children, they walk through harsh areas in our school. Most of them are coming to school high. But, what can the teacher do?” she said in an interview. “The teachers can’t do anything about it.”