NJ Preschool Aid Coming For 9 Essex County School Districts

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Nine districts in Essex County would get nearly $170 million in state aid to run their preschool programs in 2024 under Gov. Phil Murphy’s latest proposed budget.

Last week, Murphy’s office released tentative state school aid figures for each district across New Jersey. Read More: Essex County Is NJ's Biggest Winner In Latest School Aid Proposal

In addition to K-12 funding, many districts will also get money for preschool programs. In Essex County, they include:

• Belleville - $8,242,593
• East Orange - $19,423,881
• Irvington - $18,798,675
• Montclair - $2,170,032
• Newark - $96,683,481
• Nutley - $1,872,064
• Orange - $10,889,797
• South Orange-Maplewood - $6,671,535
• West Orange - $4,718,100

According to the governor’s office, the FY2024 budget includes an increase of nearly $110 million in pre-K funding compared to the prior year, for a total of $1.1 billion. The increased funding includes $40 million to expand high-quality full-day programs into new districts and support other preschool expansion needs, such as workforce development.

Since Murphy took office in 2018, preschool programs have been introduced in more than 160 school districts, opening seats for more than 12,000 additional children.

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