NJSBA NEWS & INFORMATION
School Board Notes, 4/3/25
Register for Workshop Now for Early Discounts: NJDOE Releases Performance Reports
NEW JERSEY EDUCATION NEWS
Asbury Park Press
Middletown mayor’s proposal aims to prevent school closures, mergers
Township officials hope a new proposal to buy open space and absorb some costs of school police officers will prevent the closure of two Middletown elementary schools and a merger of three middle schools.
Feds to Phil Murphy on school funds: the ‘COVID slush fund is over’
The U.S. Department of Education took aim at New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy this week over cut education funds.
- Also covered in Shore News Network
Ocean County NJ criticized for $15.4M ‘bailout’ of Toms River schools
A funding ordinance for the planned $15.4 million purchase of 1144 Hooper Avenue, the Toms River Regional School District’s corporate-like headquarters, was introduced Wednesday by the Ocean County Board of Commissioners.
NJ.com / MSN.com
Is New Jersey heading for a fiscal catastrophe? Budget analysts sound the alarm.
New Jersey’s finances are holding steady at the moment, but if spending continues at this rate, the state will deplete almost all of its $6.3 billion surplus account within the next two years, budget analysts said Tuesday.
NJ.com
N.J. just released report cards for 2,500 schools. Here’s how to look up your district.
New Jersey schools performed well in several key areas compared to the rest of the nation last year, but students are still struggling to recover from learning lost during the pandemic, new education data shows.
- Also covered in School Board Notes
Tiny N.J. school district owes whopping $1.17M to the IRS (MSN.com)
The district’s interim business administrator and secretary reveals that [the district] owes the IRS an estimated $1.17 million in penalties and interest after failing to file federal income taxes in 2023 and 2024.
Lawmakers grapple with impact on NJ of volatile market, federal cuts
Federal cuts ‘could be drastic’ for NJ, Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio tells Senate committee.
NJ Spotlight
Chronic school absenteeism is declining in NJ
Absence rates last year were still higher than before the pandemic.
NJ school districts may lose $85M in federal pandemic aid
Blindsided by Trump administration’s decision, 20 districts likely to lose COVID relief funds.
Bump in near-term NJ tax revenues, fiscal experts forecast
Longer-term outlook uncertain due to Trump administration’s tariffs and policy changes.
NorthJersey.com
New Jersey’s Top 5 high schools ranked. See which North Jersey school made the list
Princeton High School has claimed the top spot in New Jersey in the latest high school rankings released by Polarist, which evaluates schools based on the number of students they send to top-tier universities.
NATIONAL EDUCATION NEWS
Education Week
What’s Behind the Political Criticisms of Social-Emotional Learning? (Video)
The Trump administration says SEL is being used to veil discrimination. What does that mean for schools?
See Which Schools Trump’s Education Department Is Investigating and Why
The U.S. Department of Education has emerged as an aggressive enforcer of President Donald Trump’s social agenda, moving quickly and publicly to investigate school districts, colleges and universities, state education departments, and athletic associations and threaten their federal funding.
How 2 School Leaders Limited Distractions and Carved Out More Time for Learning
They removed extra responsibilities from teachers’ days and carved out dedicated intervention time.
The U.S. Dept. of Ed. Has Been Cut in Half. We Have Thoughts (Opinion)
The push to downsize the department invites confusion and risks political blowback.
What Makes Curriculum ‘High-Quality’?
Depending on who’s providing the definition, a good curriculum could mean different things.
Federal Efforts Have Curbed Teen Vaping. Will the Recent Cuts Change That?
Efforts to curtail youth vaping may be in peril after dramatic federal staffing cuts.
USA Today / MSN.com
Trump threatens funding cuts for public schools over DEI policies
The U.S. Department of Education escalated President Donald Trump’s war on diversity, equity and inclusion Thursday, warning states that public schools offering “impermissible” DEI programs could be at risk of losing federal funding.
Democrat senators probe Trump administration on the future of special education in the US (MSN.com)
Democratic senators are pressing the Trump administration to lay out how it will protect the legal rights of students with disabilities amid its shake-up of the Department of Education.
