Governor Murphy Signs Bill Providing $100M in Additional School Aid for New Jersey Districts

 Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill on April 3, 2023, providing over $100 million in additional funding to nearly 170 New Jersey school districts facing reductions in school aid for the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget due to the S-2 funding formula. 

The legislation, S-3732, allocates a total of $103,023,579 to support these districts in continuing to offer high-quality education.

Governor Murphy emphasized that providing students with a first-rate education remains a top priority for his administration. The bill was created in partnership with the Legislature, with Senators Vin Gopal and Andrew Zwicker, and Assembly members Roy Freiman, Paul Moriarty, Lisa Swain, and Raj Mukherji as sponsors.

The additional funding aims to prevent districts from having to make difficult choices, such as eliminating positions or cutting back vital programs. Legislators acknowledge the need for a long-term solution for district funding and will work towards that goal in the coming months.

Under the legislation, eligible school districts can request an additional amount of aid equal to 66 percent of the difference between the amount they received in the 2022-2023 school year and the amount of aid proposed for the 2023-2024 school year. 

All eligible districts that submit a request to the Commissioner of Education will receive this additional funding and must include a written plan outlining how they intend to fund operations in future years when this aid is no longer available.

Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan, Acting Commissioner of Education, praised the partnership between Governor Murphy and the legislature for providing supplemental funding for the 2023-2024 school year, ensuring stability for New Jersey's local educational agencies.

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