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Senate panel reviews Murphy's $22.2 billion education proposal; lawmakers spar over formula tweaks and aid caps
Summary
Department of Education Commissioner Kevin Demmer told the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee that the FY2026 proposal would invest $22.2 billion in education, with $12.1 billion in direct formula aid and targeted increases for special education and preschool. Senators pressed officials over caps that limit aid increases to 6% and a 3% floor on reductions.
The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee heard from Department of Education Commissioner Kevin Demmer on a proposed FY2026 education budget that Demmer called "a historic $22.2 billion" investment in New Jersey schools. The proposal would provide about $12.1 billion in direct formula aid, an increase the department said is roughly $400 million above FY2025 levels.
The administration proposes a number of changes to the school funding formula designed to smooth local share calculations and better reflect district costs. "Rather than relying on a single year property valuation and income data, the proposal incorporates multiple years of data to determine each district's local share," Demmer said, adding the budget updates cost…
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