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 October 15, 2026
Correction: Last week’s newsletter included an incorrect link to our School Funding Outreach Survey. We apologize for the error. Please use the corrected survey link below to share your feedback.
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Funding New Jersey’s Future
Putting Students First. Strengthening Schools Together.
New Jersey is listening and learning to identify targeted changes that can address urgent needs now, as well as comprehensive reforms that ensure every student receives the education they need. Over the next 15 months, the New Jersey Department of Education will examine costs, funding policies, and lessons from other states to develop comprehensive recommendations for a more transparent, predictable, and student-centered system.
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Three Key Messages
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Students come first. The starting point is what students need to succeed and whether they have access to those opportunities, resources, and supports.
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Everyone should be able to participate. NJDOE is gathering input through a statewide survey, public forums, community roundtables, emails, and the School Funding Steering Committee.
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Input will lead to immediate and durable action. This work will inform both immediate and long-term reforms. Together, these steps will inform comprehensive recommendations for a more transparent, predictable, accountable, and student-centered school finance system.
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Take the Five-Minute Survey
The New Jersey School Funding Outreach Survey is designed for families, students, educators, school leaders, community members, taxpayers, and others across the state. It uses mostly multiple-choice questions to make participation quick and easy.
The survey asks about:
- The opportunities, resources, and supports students need to succeed.
- The barriers facing students, schools, and communities.
- How New Jersey’s school funding system could become more transparent, predictable, accountable, and responsive to student needs.
Take the survey
How Will Input Be Used?
NJDOE will combine survey responses with feedback from forums, roundtables, emails, and the Steering Committee. NJDOE and the Steering Committee will review the full body of input to:
- Identify themes and potential near-term changes heard consistently across the state.
- Develop a white paper describing what NJDOE heard and recommending next steps.
- Identify questions that require deeper analysis next year, such as how education costs have changed over the past two decades and what New Jersey can learn from other states.
- Support comprehensive recommendations for the Legislature on how to strengthen the school finance system as a whole.
Forums and Roundtables: What Is the Difference?
Regional Public Forums
Forums are open meetings where participants hear the same brief, plain-language overview and may provide public comments for up to three minutes. Comments are recorded and reviewed with feedback collected through the other parts of the outreach project.
Community Roundtables
Roundtables are facilitated, small-group conversations co-hosted with districts or community organizations. Participants discuss common questions, share experiences, and hear different perspectives. Some roundtables are open to the public; others bring together invited participants for focused conversations.
Both formats use the same core information and questions. You do not need to attend both for your voice to be heard.
How Speaking Works at a Virtual Forum
Each virtual forum can accommodate up to 300 attendees.
- The first 50 people who register will be contacted separately with an opportunity to sign up to provide public comments.
- If speaking slots remain, a sign-up link will be posted in the meeting chat when the forum begins.
- Speaking opportunities are first come, first served and subject to the time available.
- Participants who do not receive a speaking slot can still provide feedback through the survey or by emailing FundingOutreach@doe.nj.gov.
Register for a forum or public roundtable
Take Action This Week
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Stay Connected
Follow project updates, access learning resources, and watch for future opportunities to participate through the NJDOE School Funding Outreach webpage. Additional updates will be shared through future newsletters, webinars, reports, and public engagement opportunities.
Together, we can build shared understanding and support a more transparent, predictable, and student-centered school funding system for New Jersey.
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