Governor Murphy, Sen. Gopal, Sen. Zwicker and Assemblyman Freiman Announce Legislation to Support Districts Seeing School Aid Cuts in the FY24 Budget Under the S-Funding Formula 2
Bill to Leverage Over $100 Million in Additional K-12 Funding
TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy announced a bill in partnership with the Legislative Assembly to provide additional funding to school districts that will see a reduction in state school aid in the fiscal year 2024 budget due of the S-2 funding formula. The legislation — sponsored by Sen. Vin Gopal, Sen. Andrew Zwicker and Assemblyman Roy Freiman — will make more than $100 million available to eligible districts.
“My administration remains committed to providing New Jersey students with a world-class education, which is why we continue to commit historic levels of assistance to our schools in each year’s budget,” Governor Murphy said. “As we work to ensure equitable access to the high-quality education that every student deserves, this additional funding will help districts adjust to changes in aid under our school’s funding formula. State I thank our legislative partners for their collaboration in reaching this agreement on behalf of educators, students and their communities over the next school year.
“I thank Governor Murphy for being constantly responsive to the situations of each local education agency in New Jersey,” said Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan, Acting Commissioner of Education. “As we continue to manage the impact of our school funding structure and in light of unique circumstances, the additional funding of over $100 million will provide an additional layer of stability this year and continues to demonstrate the responsiveness of the school. administration to every student in New Jersey. .”
“Our schools have been under enormous pressure over the past three years due to the pandemic, ranging from uncertainty over resources, the resumption of learning and a growing shortage of teachers. This is not the time for more uncertainty, nor the time to ask districts to do with less at precisely the time they are trying to regain some sense of normality,” Sen. Gopal said. “This restoration of funding will ease some of those pressures, smooth the remaining transitions, and help districts set course for a bolder and brighter future.”
“As we continue to increase funding for New Jersey’s outstanding public schools, unfortunately some districts have seen a reduction in state assistance,” Senator Zwicker said. “These cuts would have been devastating to our schools, and I am grateful that we were able to find a solution to ensure that the quality of education for all New Jersey students is not compromised.”
“There is nothing more important to invest in than the future of our children. The families who live in New Jersey deserve the best public schools in the country, and with this investment, we will continue that commitment to the people who live here. After all the disruption to learning due to the pandemic, the last thing we need is for families to worry about teachers being laid off or services cut,” said MP Freiman. “During my tenure, I fought for sound and responsible fiscal policies, and they are paying off. We now have the ability to provide quality services to New Jersey families and focus on lowering property taxes. This bill represents that commitment, and I am proud to sponsor it.
The bill (S-3732) allows school districts that will see a reduction in school aid in the fiscal year 2024 budget to request an additional amount of aid equal to 66% of the difference between the amount that they received during the 2022-2023 school year. and the amount of aid currently proposed for the 2023-2024 school year. All eligible districts that apply to the Education Commissioner will receive this additional funding and must include a written plan outlining how they intend to fund operations in future years when this assistance is no longer available.
