Gov. Murphy highlights FY2023 budget plan to increase K-12 school aid by $650M, expand Pre-K, fund school construction

NEW JERSEY – Governor Phil Murphy and Acting Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan visited James Monroe Elementary School in Edison Thursday to highlight the nearly $19.2 billion to support New Jersey schools reflected in the Governor’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget plan.

The budget proposal will support learning acceleration, climate-change education, and expanded pre-K through an infusion of an additional $650 million in K-12 school aid and nearly $68 million in additional preschool funding. District allocations of state aid are available on DOE’s School Finance webpage.

“The budget proposal unveiled on Tuesday is a reflection of my Administration’s ongoing commitment to maintaining the strength of New Jersey’s school system,” Murphy said. “We place great value on providing all students with access to a world-class education, and this budget continues to support students and school districts. We also know that schools account for more than half of the average property tax bill in New Jersey. By adequately funding our public schools, we are allowing towns to maintain high-quality educational programs without passing the additional cost on to property taxpayers.”

“I applaud Governor Murphy as he continues to support the learning of our students and provide schools with resources to ensure their success,” Allen-McMillan said. “This funding is critical to help increase opportunities for all students, especially as we emerge from the global pandemic.”

In the FY2023 budget, the Edison School District will receive almost $11.8 million more in K-12 aid, which is a 32.80% aid difference.

Stabilizing School Funding:

The FY 2023 budget proposal continues the seven-year phase-in to fully funding New Jersey’s school funding formula. This transition was required in a 2018 law, S2, designed to address inequities that had resulted from years of overfunding some districts while failing to adequately meet the needs of other growing districts. By adding $649.8 million in K-12 formula aid, the Governor is proposing to make the full scheduled phase-in for FY 2023.

The Governor’s budget also includes $20 million in Stabilization Aid to provide one-time assistance for school districts facing fiscal challenges. When the transition to full funding is complete, all school districts will be funded as envisioned in the state’s school-funding formula: based on student enrollment and community factors.

For some of the most vulnerable students in New Jersey schools, the budget includes a total of $400 million to support Extraordinary Special Education aid.
Additional information on district allocations of state aid is available on the Department of Education’s School Finance webpage.

Expanding Pre-K:

The Governor continues his campaign to expand high-quality pre-K across the state with an increase of nearly $68 million in pre-K aid, for a total of $991.8 million for pre-K in the FY 2023 budget. The increase consists of $28 million for existing programs and $40 million for new pre-K programs. The additional pre-K funding is in addition to, and separate from, the $650 million in additional K-12 school aid, or “formula aid.”
Since 2018, the Murphy Administration has increased pre-K investments to date by over $240 million, expanding state-funded pre-K programs by nearly 9,000 seats across the state.

The budget also continues the Supplemental Wraparound Program, which allocates $4.5 million to provide before-school and after-school care for children of lower-income families.

Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Efficient Schools:

Additionally, the proposed budget provides funding to promote school infrastructure improvements. Initiatives include:

• $80 million to continue support for capital maintenance projects and emergent needs in the state’s districts, with $50 million for districts overseen by the Schools Development Authority, $5 million for charter schools, and $25 million for all other districts; and
• $350 million for school facilities projects to reduce debt issuance for projects planned by the Schools Development Authority.

Preparing Students for Jobs of the Future:

The Governor’s proposed budget supports students who have struggled during the period of remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic and addresses longstanding educational inequities by focusing on reading, a foundational component of learning through the Reading Acceleration/Professional Integrated Development (RAPID) Program. The budget also advances continued investments in STEM and Computer Science education, career and technical education (CTE), and minority teacher development. To ensure students are prepared to tackle the looming challenges of climate change, it also provides new grants to support climate change education throughout the state.

Additional Highlights:

Other highlights of the Governor’s FY 2023 budget proposal include:

Nonpublic and Charter Schools: The appropriation for Security Aid in nonpublic schools will increase by $1.7 million. Charter schools will continue to receive at least the same aid amount as this year, both in total revenue and on a per-pupil basis.

Pensions and Benefits for Retired Educators: In addition to providing direct aid to school districts, the State annually covers important school-related costs such as teacher pensions, medical benefits for retired educators, and Social Security contributions for teachers. Many states do not cover such costs on behalf of their school districts. Governor Murphy’s proposed budget will include more than $5.6 billion to support these areas in the upcoming school year.