This afternoon Gov. Mikie Sherrill unveiled her $60.7 billion budget, which NJ Globe says asks legislators “to appropriate $12.4 billion in formula aid for K-12 schools and $1.4 billion in preschool education aid, year-over-year increases of 3.1% and 9%, respectively.”

Here are quotes from a transcript of her speech released earlier today regarding her plans and priorities for funding K-12 education in New Jersey:

• School funding has soared, but too many third graders still read below grade level, and kids’ mental health keeps getting worse.
• And it continues to fund the school formula with a record investment in K-12 education – although everyone in this room knows we’re not getting the bang for the buck that we need.
• Evidence shows the huge benefits of shared services for things like special education, transportation, books, and software.
• So this budget invests in and lays the groundwork for consolidating services and curricula.
• It’s better for students, offering continuity as they move from elementary to middle to high school in one unified system. And it’s better for districts, providing needed savings.
• At the same time, we’re investing in evidence-based literacy tools and high-impact tutoring programs that have launched in 300 districts since covid, to bring kids back up to speed.
• They’re working: In Camden, math scores jumped 80 percent, and literacy scores doubled. In Franklin, 83 percent of students improved a full grade-level in math. In Elk Township, 74 percent improved a full grade in reading – and some improved as many as five.
• But the pandemic not only affected kids’ learning; it had a huge impact on their mental health, and social media continues to make that worse.
• Kids are struggling with pressures that didn’t exist when we were young: the always-on online culture, fierce competition, worries about school violence, and concerns about the future.
• We know the current model of care has not been good enough for our kids.
• So this budget sunsets it, and brings specialized, intensive mental health support back into schools, with a new program called “SPARK,” that meets students in their own environment.

For a complete transcript, see here. For a press release from the Governor’s Office, see here.

Photo courtesy of InsiderNJ.