On March 29, Jesse Young, legislative advocate for the New Jersey School Boards Association, testified on behalf of NJSBA at the Assembly Budget Committee’s public hearing on Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed fiscal year 2024 budget.
In his testimony, Young identified several components of the proposed budget that the Association supports, and he made several requests for additional provisions that would further empower school districts to develop or sustain high-quality education programs for all students.
Specifically, NJSBA expressed support for, among other priorities:
- Remaining on the glidepath toward fully funding the school funding formula.
- Investments in student mental health and learning recovery programs.
- New programs to help combat the school staff shortage.
NJSBA also made numerous requests, including:
- Tax levy growth cap flexibility to allow districts, particularly districts experiencing a reduction in state school aid, to raise their local fair share;
- Relief from the costs of increasing health care premiums.
- Increasing the appropriation for extraordinary special education aid, which the governor’s proposal would fund at the same level as fiscal year 2023 ($420 million).
The Association’s full testimony can be found here.