Education (School Funding) in New Jersey

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 2877: Establishes School Funding Commission to study school funding formula and prepare report that will serve as basis of new formula.

This bill establishes a 26-member School Funding Commission to study New Jersey's current school funding system and develop recommendations for a new formula. The commission includes the Education Commissioner and members appointed by state leaders, with input from education organizations and finance experts. It must examine the existing 2008 funding formula, impacts on at-risk students, neighboring states' approaches, local tax capacity, and other key factors within one year. The resulting report will directly guide the state in creating a new school funding formula affecting all public schools in New Jersey.

Topics ✓ Education

Sub-Topics School Funding

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 3428: Provides that regional school districts are not subject to State school aid reductions under certain circumstances.

This bill prevents certain New Jersey school districts from facing state aid reductions during the 2019-2025 school years. It specifically exempts regional school districts and high-need districts (SDA districts) meeting certain criteria - such as having above-average local tax rates, spending below adequacy levels, or meeting administrative cost benchmarks - from annual aid cuts. Districts with a negative "State aid differential" (meaning they receive less state funding than needed) will instead receive aid equal to their prior year's amount plus a portion of any state aid increases. The bill also ensures regional districts created after 2021 receive the greater of their new regional funding or the combined prior funding of their constituent districts.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

Sub-Topics School Funding

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jun 15, 2026

A 3881: Requires Commissioner of Education to take certain action concerning preliminary State school aid notices and school district budgets and creates New Jersey Education Funding Portal; modifies certain provisions in school funding law.

This bill requires the New Jersey Commissioner of Education to provide school districts with two key notices annually: a preliminary notice of the minimum state aid amount due for the next school year (by the end of the first week in December, starting 2026) and a maximum aid notice within two days of the Governor's budget message. It mandates the creation of a New Jersey Education Funding Portal to centralize these notices, along with district-specific adequacy budgets and projected local funding rates. The bill also modifies how state aid is calculated, requiring the use of budget year pupil counts with adjustments for actual counts in the following school year. These changes directly affect all New Jersey public school districts by improving the transparency and timing of funding information for budget planning.

Topics ✓ Education

Sub-Topics School Funding

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 444: Requires $1 million annual appropriation to certain educational services commissions for school facilities projects and school security improvements.

This bill requires the state to appropriate $1 million annually from the General Fund to educational services commissions that primarily serve students from School Development Authority (SDA) districts. These commissions currently receive no state funding for school facility upgrades or security improvements, despite having similar needs as SDA districts. The funds must be used for specific facility projects (like construction or renovations) and security measures (such as cameras, emergency notification systems, and access controls).

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

Sub-Topics Appropriations State Budget School Funding School Safety

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 2574: Establishes "New Jersey Higher Education Funding Formula Commission."

This bill establishes the New Jersey Higher Education Funding Formula Commission (A 2574), a 11-member body tasked with reviewing how the state funds higher education. The commission will examine funding models used by other states, gather input from all New Jersey institutions (including medical, law, and graduate schools), and develop a new funding formula recommendation. It must submit a final report with its findings and legislative recommendations to the Governor and relevant legislative committees within six months of its first meeting. The commission will expire 30 days after submitting this report. This bill directly affects all public and private higher education institutions in New Jersey by initiating a formal review of their state funding structure.

Topics ✓ Education

Sub-Topics Higher Education School Funding

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 746: Requires certain school districts to receive additional State aid for certain State school aid reductions from previous school years; authorizes appropriation.

This bill requires New Jersey to provide additional state aid to school districts that experienced State school aid reductions exceeding 3% of their prior year's funding during the 2020-2021 through 2024-2025 school years. It calculates the extra aid as the total amount of reductions above that 3% threshold, using specific funding categories like equalization aid, transportation support, special education funding, security grants, and adjustment aid. The Department of Education must fund this through an appropriation from the Property Tax Relief Fund. The policy directly compensates affected school districts for past aid cuts without requiring new legislative action for each district.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

Sub-Topics Appropriations Property Tax School Funding Special Education

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 2899: Provides supplemental appropriation to ensure certain school districts receive additional amounts of special education categorical aid, security categorical aid, and transportation aid.

This bill provides supplemental state funding to specific New Jersey school districts that received reduced special education, security, and transportation aid under recent funding formulas. It directly affects districts that experienced aid cuts in both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years while spending below state adequacy standards. The key mechanism requires the state to cover the difference between current aid amounts and the higher levels calculated under the 2008 School Funding Reform Act for eligible districts. This temporary measure aims to prevent budget shortfalls for these districts during the 2024-2025 school year.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education ✓ Transportation

Sub-Topics Appropriations School Funding Special Education

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 2284: Makes various changes to school funding law and Educational Adequacy Report; establishes Special Education Funding Review Task Force.

This bill updates New Jersey's school funding formulas and creates a Special Education Funding Review Task Force. It requires the education commissioner to notify school districts annually about funding amounts, including per-pupil costs, special education aid, and geographic adjustments, based on the state's Educational Adequacy Report. The bill clarifies how districts calculate their required local tax levies and adjusts special education funding when actual aid differs from initial projections. It directly affects all New Jersey public school districts by changing how state aid is calculated and distributed. The Special Education Funding Review Task Force will be established to examine funding mechanisms for students with disabilities.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

Sub-Topics School Funding Special Education

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 1500: Directs DOE to create New Jersey Education Funding Portal to make available to school districts and public State school aid information.

This bill requires New Jersey's Department of Education to create a public online portal displaying how state school funding is calculated for all school districts. The portal will show historical aid amounts, allow users to adjust variables like enrollment or property values to estimate impacts, and explain complex funding formulas in plain language. It will cover all state aid types - including special education, transportation, and categorical programs - and include district-specific data like local shares and enrollment. The portal must link to relevant laws, district budgets, and the annual Educational Adequacy Report. This transparency tool directly affects school districts and the public by making funding mechanisms accessible and understandable.

Topics ✓ Education

Sub-Topics School Funding Special Education

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 2535: Requires upcoming Educational Adequacy Report to include comprehensive review of certain components of school funding in consultation with certain stakeholders and experts.

This bill (A2535) requires New Jersey's next Educational Adequacy Report (due September 1, 2025) to include two new consultation steps. It mandates the Governor and Commissioner of Education to: (1) engage diverse stakeholders (school staff, students, parents, community members) to identify unfunded school resources, and (2) commission school finance experts to recommend updates to funding methodology. These changes will directly affect how state school funding is calculated for all districts, including base per-pupil amounts, special education costs, preschool funding, and transportation aid. The bill does not change current funding formulas but requires the next report to incorporate stakeholder input and expert analysis before updates are finalized. The bill is pending before the Assembly Education Committee.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

Sub-Topics Early Childhood School Funding Special Education

All education bills