Ed. Note: NJ Spotlight polled all gubernatorial candidates on hot issues as part of its NJ Decides 2025 feature. One of the questions is this: What changes, if any, would you make to the state’s school funding system, and how would you pay for them? Here are answers from Democratic candidates; go here for Republicans. Not all candidates responded; when available, NJ Education Report has inserted answers from other platforms.

(Also see: “How Do We Fund Schools and Why Are My Taxes So High?”)

Ras Baraka: “New Jersey’s education funding system is broken. We have more school districts than municipalities and more superintendents than mayors. It’s inefficient and inequitable. We need to move toward unified school districts to lower administrative costs and redirect resources where they belong – into classrooms. I’ll support district consolidation and provide incentives for school desegregation, ensuring every student has access to a well-funded, diverse, and high-quality public education.”

Josh Gottheimer: “We have some of the best schools in the country and I want to make sure every student, no matter where you live, gets the best education possible. As Governor, I’ll fully fund Universal Pre-K and full-day kindergarten for every child in Jersey. I’ll work to fix the school funding formula so every school gets the resources they need, and I’ll fight Trump’s gutting of the Department of Education. I’m the only candidate with detailed, expert-backed plans to cut taxes and lower costs, including a 15% property tax cut and rebates for renters, that meet our pension obligations, fund our schools, tackle our structural deficit, and are fully paid for without cutting the important programs and services Jersey families and seniors rely on.”

Steve Sweeney: “We must fully fund our public schools. Any changes must align with the State Constitution’s mandate to provide thorough and efficient education. I’ve advocated for regular review of the formula to ensure it reflects the needs of students. After COVID-19, learning loss remains a challenge. The state must provide targeted funding to help students who are behind. We also need to fully fund extraordinary education. The current approach leaves both students and school districts under-supported. Thanks to the current administration, public school funding has increased by billions. To ensure these funds are used wisely, we must require all districts to be K–12, and explore regionalization to create more efficient, better-resourced school systems.”

Steve Fulop: “I propose revising the School Funding Reform Act to ensure equitable distribution of resources, confronting segregation, and promoting district consolidation to reduce costs. We’ll cap state college tuition increases at 2% annually and increase investments in community colleges. Funding will come from restructuring tax brackets to ensure the wealthy contribute their fair share, redirecting funds to where they’re needed most.”

Mikie Sherrill: “We need to ensure all our students have a fair shot at success. The bulk of the formula was written in 2008 and I would work to modernize it so that we are meeting the latest standards and best practices, and helping students overcome challenges like learning loss and mental health. It needs to account for districts that have a higher percentage of students with special needs. We also need to stabilize the formula to address the wild year-to-year fluctuations we see and ensure districts have the resources needed to maintain the programs and quality of education a student receives.”

Sean Spiller did not respond to NJ Spotlight. Here is the answer from his website:

Sean Spiller: “Sean knows that every student in every district deserves the resources necessary to learn, thrive and grow. He will work to make sure New Jersey has a fair system to fund all public schools.”