The New Jersey Department of Education recently issued an advisory announcing the availability of the 2024 School Election and Budget Procedures Calendar.

The calendar includes the statutory election dates and the budget procedures timeline for the 2024-2025 April school election, November school election and the special elections. You can find the calendar here. It is also available on the NJDOE’s  Office of School Finance website.

On Jan. 16, 2024, Gov. Phil Murphy signed Senate Bill 4209 into law (P.L. 2023, c.289), eliminating the vote on school budgets for Type II school districts in April elections except for separate proposals to spend above cap, modifying the dates for the board reorganization meeting for Type II April election districts and clarifying the term dates of school board members. The election calendar has been created under the new rules of this law.

Please note, the special election date for September 2024 is Sept. 17, 2024, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:60-2, for special election dates that fall within 45 days of the general election.

Key Steps

School districts must follow the budget and election timeline applicable to the district type and election date. To facilitate compliance, the election calendar is topically arranged by school district type (e.g., Type I or Type II districts) and election date (April or November).

For each type and election date, the election calendar presents the statutory and regulatory dates by which the board of education, or board of school estimate, must complete certain budget-related processes. Dates and processes are also presented for county vocational districts, county special services school districts, educational services commissions and school districts under full state intervention. Also presented are special election dates, including municipal clerk notification deadlines, for the three 2024 special election dates and the municipal clerk notification deadline for the January 2025 special election.

If you have questions about the 2024 School Election and Budget Procedures Calendar, contact the NJDOE via email.