SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1767

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MAY 11, 2026

      The Senate Education Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 1767.

      This bill changes how special education aid to school districts is calculated.  Under the provisions of the “School Funding Reform Act of 2008,” the State provides special education aid to school districts using the census-based method.  Under this method, districts receive funding for special education based on the assumption that a fixed percent of the total student population requires special education services, rather than using the actual number of special education students to determine the amount of State aid that school districts will receive.

      This bill eliminates the use of the census-based methodology, and calculates State aid for special education based on the actual number of special education students included in the district’s resident enrollment.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2026-2027 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.