On Thursday, March 12, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) issued the following broadcast memo detailing information regarding state aid notices and updates to the 2026-2027 budget application:
State aid notices for the 2026-2027 school year will be found under “School Aid” in the New Jersey Department of Education’s (NJDOE) Homeroom portal on or about March 12, 2026.
The NJDOE’s 2026-2027 school district online budget software will be updated on or about March 12, 2026, to reflect each district’s state school aid. Additionally, software screens and functions that were previously blocked from access will be available for use.
There has been no change to the process for gaining access to the Budget Application through the NJDOE’s Homeroom portal. The district Homeroom Administrator must create the user accounts for individuals who need access to the budget software. Please refer to the Homeroom Administrator Manual on the NJDOE Homeroom portal for the instructions regarding the Homeroom Administrator login. The budget software is named “Budget Statement” in the Homeroom Administrator system.
Among the screens and functions that are to be available on or about March 12, 2026, are:
- State school aid revenue is loaded into the revenue screen;
- Amounts for tuition to state facilities, the Schools Development Authority (SDA) assessment, and transfer to charter schools are loaded into the appropriations screen;
- Updates to enable full functionality of the edit report tab;
- School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) calculations, report of district status;
- SFRA calculations, minimum tax levy;
- SFRA calculations, pre-budget year levy and enrollment adjustment report, line B adjustment for P.L.2020, c.44 savings in health care costs;
- County Special Services School District (CSSSD) maximum permitted net budget;
- Tax levy certification tab, including the A4F report and the estimated tax rate information report;
- County review and approval tab;
- User-friendly budget report and the advertised budget for newspapers report; and
- Printable PDF report.
A complete listing of the edits can be found at Appendix B of the 2026-27 Budget Guidelines and Electronic Data Collection Manual.
Districts with November Elections
School districts holding school elections in November are required to submit the proposed budget to the Executive County Superintendent by March 27, 2026, as listed in the 2026 Election Calendar. The budget must be advertised at least four days prior to the public hearing on the budget, and the public hearing must be held between April 24 and May 7, 2026. School districts holding school elections in November must certify the tax levy to the county board of taxation by May 19, 2026.
School districts with November elections that are submitting separate proposals asking voters to increase the tax levy beyond base budget will be required to revise and re-transmit the budget, incorporating the levy revenue for separate proposals passed by the voters in November. Separate proposals that are to be presented to the voters must be included on the SFRA screen for separate proposals in the original budget.
Districts with April Elections
School districts with a board of school estimate and those holding school elections in April are required to submit the proposed budget to the Executive County Superintendent by March 18, 2026. The budget must be advertised at least four days before the public hearing on the budget, and the public hearing must be held between March 26 and March 30, 2026. Please refer to the 2026 Election Calendar for the deadline to certify the tax levy to the county board of taxation based on the election type. As noted in the Feb. 24, 2026, broadcast revising the 2026 School Election and Budget Procedures Calendar, “For April election districts, Type I districts, and state-operated districts, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-9.1 and due to the compressed budget timeline, Commissioner approval has been granted to advertise the budget for the public hearing before receiving executive county superintendent approval. The advertisement must include a statement that the budget is being advertised before the executive county superintendent’s approval. The approval must be completed before holding the public hearing, and the approved budget must be discussed at the public hearing.”
Adjustments for P.L.2020, c.44
The budget application is updated for the required calculation of tax levy adjustments for decreases in health care costs pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:16-13.3 (P.L.2020, c.44). The NJDOE will calculate the amount on this line from district entries in the Chapter 44 data collection in the Homeroom portal. Pursuant to P.L.2020, c.44, savings in district health care costs attributable to implementation of the statute are used as a reduction to the amount that is required to be raised by the local property tax levy by the school district. If a district believes the savings calculated pursuant to P.L.2020, c.44 are unrelated to the implementation of the P.L.2020, c.44, the district should include documentation with the budget submission to the Executive County Superintendent and Executive County Business Official substantiating their position. Documentation should include, but not be limited to, proof of a change in health benefits provider, a documented reduction-in-force, or significant negotiated health benefit savings. Refer to the budget guidelines and the Appendix D and Appendix D-1 worksheets for submission items.
County Review Subsequent to Public Hearing
Following the public hearings, school districts need to return to the budget software and access the “County Review and Approval” tab. Under the header “Results of Public Hearing,” select either Statement A or Statement B. Statement A should be completed if the budget approved by the Executive County Superintendent was adopted as approved at the public hearing. Statement B should be completed, along with all changes to the budget and/or separate proposal(s), if the budget and/or separate proposal(s) were revised as a result of the public hearing.
Directions for completing the “County Review and Approval” tab are found beginning on page 238 of the 2026-27 Budget Guidelines and Electronic Data Collection Manual. School districts are required by N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-5(e)(4) to submit the budget to the NJDOE within 15 days of the authorization of the tax levy by one of the following: the voters for a separate proposal; municipal governing body(ies); board of school estimate; or, in the case of a type II district with election in either April or November, the board of education.
For information and resources regarding the 2026-2027 budget process, refer to the NJDOE’s Districtwide Budget webpage. Contact your County Office of Education with questions.
