The controversial debate around New Jersey's school funding formula was front and center again today at the state House, where the assembly approved legislation that will allow districts facing aid reductions for the coming fiscal year to apply for more funding.

And our senior correspondent Joanna Gagis reports.

Raise property taxes above the current state cap without a vote from district residents.

We're here to talk about how to avoid issues associated with what is coming out of our school funding formula.

Assemblyman Roy Freeman addressed the Assembly today, asking them to vote yes on a bill that would allow some school districts that have lost significant funding in this year's school funding formula to increase their property taxes beyond the 2% cap set in 2010.

During the Christie administration.

We have something in front of us that must be acted upon in very short order.

Are there otherwise a lot of school programing is going to get cut?

A lot of people are going to get laid off and that is why we're here to avoid that scenario.

The bill was sponsored by Freeman, along with Assembly Education Committee chair Pamela Lampert and others.

They acknowledge it's a short term fix that allows districts to finalize their budgets, which are due in May before the state's budget is set.

A separate bill passed unanimously today that allows districts facing cuts to postpone their budget submissions until after the state budget is finalized.

But the 2% cap issue was not as well-received by Republicans.

A proposed short term solution it was referred to as a Band-Aid in both cases, drastically reduced results and drastically higher local property taxes.

We are not addressing or correcting the root problem.

Why isn't the state fully funding its schools?

How can the State Department of Education.

Release a list that cuts school funding, like the ways that Assemblywoman Lampkin talks about?

How are you supposed to get on?

You're supposed to then just send it to the property tax payers to do it.

What this bill will do is allow school districts to ignore the voters in their communities and increase taxes well above the 2% cap up to.

As the assemblyman again, Ward said, up to 9.9 almost 10% in a given year.

Assemblyman Jay Webber calls the 2% property tax cap one of the greatest accomplishments of New Jersey's legislature in the last 15 years, and reminded the Assembly that districts can increase above the 2% cap now, but only when taxpayers agree to it with a vote.

It blows up a deal that we made with the property taxpayers in this state.

I just want to remind my colleagues on either side, I am the under the Christie administration.

The school funding formula was underfunded by billions of dollars.

Democrats defended the bill and the Murphy administration's efforts to fully fund the school funding formula over the last seven years.

This is permissive.

And each one of our school districts know the fact that they don't want to raise taxes.

They just want to be able to educate our children.

And we're here today to be able to support our educators so that our children are seventh graders up there, continue to be able to flourish and thrive.

Some Republicans offered their support, albeit begrudgingly.

I am actually on this bill and I do plan on voting yes on it as my own.

My friend and colleague, Assemblyman Freiman, knows I'm not happy about it.

You know, I am voting yes for it because it does give back some funding to school districts that are, I mean, literally desperate at this point.

In the end, the stopgap bill passed mostly along party lines, 51 to 20.

But what we heard in that room today was both parties agreeing so much more work needs to be done on this school formula to get it right next year.

In Trenton, I'm Joanna Gagis NJ Spotlight News.