Dear NJSBA members,
I am reaching out to alert you to an opportunity to provide input on school funding in New Jersey. The FY2026 New Jersey State Appropriations Act requires the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) to conduct an examination of school funding policies. That examination must include stakeholder input and “assess how to create multi-year policies for issues including but not limited to funding changes, special education, and transportation.”
This is a rare opportunity for local boards of education to make their voices heard on the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA).
Open to all members of the public, the NJDOE created a survey to solicit stakeholder input in six areas, generally aligned to feedback received from school officials and other stakeholders in previous school funding outreach initiatives and reflected in FY2026 state aid calculations and FY2026 Educational Adequacy Report:
- the use of wealth measures in calculating State aid;
- limiting the amount by which State aid may change annually;
- applying greater flexibility to the tax levy growth limitation;
- the calculation of transportation aid;
- the calculation used for formula aid for special education services; and
- the reimbursement amounts for exceptionally high costs special education services.
In addition to the survey, the public may provide comments regarding school funding by emailing comments toSFRAOutreach@doe.nj.gov. The survey will be open, and comments accepted, through Nov. 14, 2025. The results of the survey will inform the NJDOE’s final report.
To complete and submit the survey, please click here.
The full text of the NJDOE’s announcement about this survey can be found here.
I strongly urge you to share your insights and experiences to weigh in formally on SFRA changes.
Sincerely,
Dr. Timothy J. Purnell
Executive Director/CEO New Jersey School Boards Association
