Edison Schools To Lose $2.7M In State Aid For 2026-27, Metuchen Gets A Boost

EDISON, NJ - Edison Township Public Schools and Metuchen School District are heading in opposite directions on state aid for the 2026-27 school year, according to figures released recently by the New Jersey Department of Education.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill's proposed budget for 2026-27 includes $12.4 billion for aid to the state's 574 public school districts. Similar to 2025-26, most aid increases were capped at 6 percent, and the majority of aid cuts were capped at 3 percent. Of the 574 districts, 400 are receiving increases, 167 are seeing reductions, and seven are unchanged.

Edison

Edison Schools is slated to receive $88,795,757 in state aid for 2026-27, a reduction of $2,746,262, or 3 percent, from the current year's allocation of $91,542,019, according to the NJDOE's district aid detail document.

The cut marks a second consecutive year of reductions for Edison, which also absorbed a 3 percent cut in 2025-26. For the 2024-25 school year, the district received an additional $20 million in state aid, a 28.3 percent increase from the prior year.

Here is how the aid breaks down across the four primary categories, according to the NJDOE's 2026-27 document:

• Equalization Aid: $53,357,960
• Transportation Aid: $9,185,487
• Special Education Aid: $21,140,999
• Security Aid: $5,111,311

Metuchen

Metuchen Borough Public Schools is slated to receive $3,595,963 in state aid for 2026-27, an increase of $203,546, or 6 percent, from the current year's allocation of $3,392,417, according to the NJDOE's district aid detail document.

Here is how the aid breaks down across the three primary categories:

• Transportation Aid: $362,071
• Special Education Aid: $2,886,900
• Security Aid: $346,992

Metuchen receives no equalization aid. Under New Jersey's school funding formula, the difference between a district's adequacy budget and its local cost share — calculated using property values and resident income — is what the state covers through equalization aid. Njsba When a district's local cost share meets or exceeds its adequacy budget, no equalization aid is provided, according to the NJSBA's School Finance 101 guide.

The figures are part of Sherrill's proposed budget and are subject to legislative approval.

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