NJ 2026-27 School Aid: East Brunswick Gets 6% Bump After Back-To-Back Cuts

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — The East Brunswick Public Schools district is set to receive $39,591,750 in state aid for the 2026-27 school year, according to figures released Thursday by the New Jersey Department of Education.

That represents an increase of $2,241,042, or 6 percent, over the $37,350,708 the district received in 2025-26.

The increase marks a reversal of fortune for the district after consecutive years of cuts. For 2025-26, the district received $37,350,708 — $1,155,177 less than the $38,505,885 it received in 2024-25, a reduction of 3 percent.

The prior year also brought a reduction: for the 2024-25 school year, state aid was reduced by $1.3 million, contributing to a total budgetary shortfall of $12.8 million that led the district to eliminate 51 positions.

The new figures are part of Gov. Mikie Sherrill's proposed budget for 2026-27, which includes $12.4 billion for aid to the state's 574 public school districts. Similar to last year, most aid increases are capped at 6 percent and the majority of aid cuts are capped at 3 percent.

The 2026-27 proposed allocation stands in contrast to where the district was just a few years earlier. For 2021-22, the district received $25,892,000 in state aid, up from the $20,584,897 it received the prior year — an increase of more than $5.3 million.

Assistant Superintendent Bernardo Giuliana told the Board of Education that East Brunswick is among other high-performing school districts in the state that had seen a 3 percent loss in funds in 2025-26, noting that districts which benefited from state aid increases were those not within the high-performing group.

In addition to the $12.4 billion in K-12 aid, Sherrill's proposed $60.7 billion budget includes $1.4 billion for preschool expansion, $15 million to increase high-impact tutoring, and $33 million for school-based mental health supports.

The figures remain subject to legislative approval.

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