In an August 5 New Jersey Department of Education news release, the Sherrill Administration announced the launch of a statewide school funding outreach effort to “overhaul New Jersey’s school funding system” and “bring together families, educators, students, school leaders, legislators, advocates, community partners, and taxpayers to build a shared understanding of how school funding works today and to identify ways to make the system more predictable, transparent, accountable, fair, and responsive to student needs.”

The effort will focus on “statewide conversations about what it takes to provide a high-quality education for every student; reduce cost pressures while providing students pathways to success; strengthen accountability for student outcomes and taxpayer dollars; improve funding stability and predictability for school districts; reform the formula to address today’s student needs; and make school funding easier for the public to understand.”

The announcement detailed several specific resources and initiatives, including

  • The convening of a steering committee this fall, led by NJDOE Commissioner Laux, to identify potential improvement and “take a deeper look at New Jersey’s school funding formula, as well as research, data, and national best practices around school funding.” Over 50 stakeholder organizations and government agencies were invited to participate, including NJSBA. The full list of invited organizations and additional information may be found on the NJDOE’s Statewide School Funding Outreach webpage.
  • A School Finance Learning Series of informational videos and one-pagers designed to explain NJ’s school funding system in plain language. The first installment in the series, which explains the history and key components of NJ’s funding formula, is available here.
  • An email newsletter for future updates; members of the public may sign up here.

 “Feedback from the 2026 outreach will inform near-term recommendations to the New Jersey Legislature, as well as a roadmap for continued stakeholder engagement and deeper reform discussions in 2027” NJDOE stated. For additional information, please visit the NJDOE’s Statewide School Funding Outreach webpage.