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Ring of Honor women’s pure champion Deonna Purrazzo is set to return to her hometown in New Jersey to help raise money for her alma mater high school and raise awareness about the lack of funding for the schools in that area of the state.
Purrazzo’s JTown SmackDown will take place at Jefferson Township High School in Oak Ridge on Friday night. The event means more than just teaming up with her husband, fellow pro wrestling star Steve Maclin. She is looking to put the spotlight on a serious issue that is near to her heart.
"I've worked with the athletic director, Bill Koch, for the past few months, since earlier this year, really, when we were reconnected over the Highlands Impact Aid Now rally at Jefferson, where we're trying to draw attention to the fact that the funding formula for schools in New Jersey, the S-2 funding formula is not fair," Purrazzo told OutKick Dropkick. "It's not equitable to the students of the Highlands and the Pinelands.
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"And so that kind of was the precipice to JTown SmackDown. We were raising money for the athletic department and for the JTEF, the Jefferson Township Educational Fund, which is all going to the students."
New Jersey’s S-2 funding formula was enacted as part of a revision to the 2008 School Funding Reform Act, which was meant to take aim at funding inadequacies across the state. But Purrazzo and other local officials have said it’s created a bigger issue for the township.
Part of the issue, Purrazzo has said, is the Highlands Act. The piece of legislation protects hundreds of thousands acres of land in the Highlands, which is the main source of drinking water for millions of residents in New Jersey. The act comes with development restrictions, which critics have said hampers growth in places like Jefferson Township.
"The S-2 funding formula and how it affects the Highlands is multifaceted. Fifteen or so years ago, there was a piece of legislation put in place in the Highlands that restricted the growth of the land in the tax base. And so, 88% of Jefferson Township is under this protection where new businesses can't come in, affordable housing can't be built, you can't rent out houses or build on your property because all of the land is protected. They provide millions and millions of gallons of water to all across New Jersey every single day. While environmental protection is important, it's limiting the growth of our students.
"What's happened because of that is taxes have risen in town. We've lost the funding formula because people are moving out of town. Enrollment is how they equate funding for the schools. And so because our enrollments down, the funding goes down ... It's not been fair. Meanwhile, cities like Newark are able to build new buildings and hire new teachers and all these things that Jefferson Township and the surrounding towns are just not able to do. So, the awareness is coming from, we have to refigure out how this formula works, especially in these towns where the tax base isn't allowed to grow, and how do we make it equitable for these towns who literally can't up their enrollment."
The New Jersey Education Association said last month it was taking on the task of rewriting the funding formula with the hope that it would be implemented during the 2027-28 school year.
Jefferson Township Superintendent Jeanne Howe warned in March that the district could have to make cuts and increase classroom sizes if money doesn’t start to flow in, according to the Morristown Daily Record.
In recent years, New Jersey lawmakers have worked together to provide millions of dollars to districts that saw reductions in funding because of the S-2 formula.
Purrazzo hopes that a return to her high school would put the issue in a larger spotlight. She recalled speaking at one of the rallies earlier this year, which took place at the high school as well.
"I don't know how I'm gonna react because when I was there in March for the Highlands Impact Aid rally, I spoke and I gave like a 7 or 8 minute speech about how growing up in this town really shaped my character for the rest of my life and allowed me to become a six-time world champion and travel the world as a professional wrestler, but they played my entrance music when I walked up to the podium and I started crying, which I didn't expect, right?
" I was just overwhelmed with, there were so many familiar faces in the crowd, and obviously, it's for such a great cause. I'm getting a master's degree in political science, but I've never really stepped on a stage and spoken about policies and legislation, things that I was doing that day. So it was definitely a step out of my comfort zone, but really rewarding to be able to start there and now have worked through producing a wrestling show. I don't know exactly how I'm gonna feel. There might be a few tears, but it'll all be worth it."
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Purrazzo and Maclin will take on VSK and Emily Jaye, Goldy will go up against Griffin McCoy Tiara James will square off against Tina San Antonio and Oxx Adams will face off against Marcus Mathers.
Jaye is a highly talented young women’s wrestler who is among the next crop of talent that pro wrestling fans should pay attention to. She made her All Elite Wrestling debut earlier this year and has performed at several promotions from Gamechanger Wrestling to Boca Raton Championship Wrestling.
Purrazzo said her advice to someone like Jaye is the same for any up-and-coming female star.
"I say to her exactly what I say to all the women's wrestlers who are coming up right now: Don't quit on yourself," she told OutKick Dropkick. "There's going to be so many people who, for me, didn't know what ‘The Virtuosa’ meant, didn't see the vision in it, didn't understand that it's not this like overt in your face character. It is very nuanced, but it is very me, and I believed in it and I knew that if someone would give me the investment and the opportunity to educate the audience in terms of what that meant for me, it would click. And so, my biggest advice to Emily and all of the women coming up right now is, if you have a vision for yourself and you believe in it 100%, don't let anyone's opinions deter you. Don't quit on yourself."
JTown Smackdown will begin at 7 p.m. ET.
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