Sign up for Chalkbeat Newark’s free newsletter to get the latest news about the city’s public school system delivered to your inbox.Newark Public Schools will spend $1.67 billion next year after the school board approved a budget Thursday that tops last year’s by $100 million. This year’s budget adds more money to academic programs such as tutoring programs, art and music teachers in every school, new math workbooks, and an elementary school basketball league. It also budgets for more facilities spending to maintain old school buildings and renovate former schools shuttered under state control.The spending plan is expansive and is supported by record high state funding, which makes up the bulk of the budget. But those added costs come at a price: homeowner taxes will go up, as the district plans to cut 30 teaching positions, six administrative roles, and nine school support staff positions but will keep over 3,000 teaching positions for the upcoming school year and add new teacher aides. And while districts across the country are struggling with declining enrollment and school closures, Superintendent Roger León said at Thursday’s board meeting that interest in Newark schools is growing across all wards. He said the district does not anticipate closing schools “in this decade or the next.”Newark grapples with rising costs, supported by record high state aid School funding, including academic programs, technology, and salary increases, remains the district’s largest expenditure, followed by charter school payments, which grew by $5 million for the upcoming school year. School Business Administrator José Fuentes, who presented the budget, said anticipated costs next school year grew to $122.9 million, a gap the district was able to close by reallocating funds and drawing from its budgeted fund balance – money set aside that carries over into the next budget cycle. Contributions to schools were the biggest spending increase in next year’s budget, which includes more money for teacher salaries and benefits under the Newark Teachers Union contract and funding for growing schools. More money is also being provided to schools that are adding a grade level next school year.Those costs are followed by rising charter school payments, building renovations, school construction costs, and facilities maintenance work, including lease increases and environmental remediation.Newark taxpayers will feel the district’s growing costs in their pocketbooks.The 2026-27 budget also includes a $39.94 tax increase for the average homeowner, bringing yearly tax contributions to $2,172.03. District cuts to school roles next year will bring teaching position totals to 3,285, administrative positions to 390, and school support staff to 797, per the district’s presentation on Thursday. The district will also add 11 new aides, for a total of 382 aides next school year. More state funding for Newark as district looks to expand schoolsState aid for the upcoming school year bumped up to a record-high $1.38 billion contribution, a slight increase from this school year’s $1.32 billion per Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s budget proposal. State funding makes up 82.7% of the district’s overall budget, while the local tax levy makes up 8.8% of the budget next school year. The budget also includes an excess fund balance of 7.6%, which is available to cover expenses next school year, according to the budget presentation.The upcoming spending plan ensures student support, academics, and programs remain, while adding more clubs, more athletics programs, and more trips for students, León said. He added that programs like after-school tutoring and Saturday School will continue, along with music and art teachers across every school.León also said the district is adding more for school technology and teacher coaches to support English language arts and math programming, and setting aside funding for students “who actually need technology at home.” District leaders are also budgeting for more academic programming and plan to spend an extra $5.6 million for K-5 math workbooks, an elementary basketball league, technology in classrooms, staff professional development, and the new Media High School, set to open at Bard High School Early College, with freshmen only starting in September, per the budget presentation. Demand for more schools grows as families move to Newark León said the main challenge next school year will be to ensure there are seats for every student who applies to the district. The number of eighth graders who have requested a seat for ninth grade next school year is the largest the district has ever received, said León on Thursday.He added that the demand to add more seats in schools is “spreading like wildfire” across wards, including in the Ironbound section of Newark’s East Ward. District leaders have previously said that the city’s East Ward schools are more than 100 years old and overcrowded. “We are projecting that with families that will be moving into the city, there will be a need for more schools than the ones we actually have,” León said. To keep up with demand, district leaders are planning to open new schools over the next five years. This week, the district presented its proposal to open the new Riverfront Elementary School through a $498 million lease and the new Media High School, which will take over the former Dayton Street School building in 2027 after renovations are completed, Leon said. The upcoming school year’s budget plan includes $27.5 million more for renovations at Dayton Street, which closed in 2012 under state control of the district, school bathroom renovations, and other construction projects across the district. Fuentes, during Thursday’s hearing, also said an extra $12.1 million was budgeted for rising costs for maintenance work at schools, lease increases, and environmental remediations. Charter school payments are rising as enrollment increasesPayments to charters are rising by $5 million, totaling $421 million this upcoming school year, one of the district’s largest financial pressures, Fuentes said during Thursday’s hearing. He explained that as charter school enrollment grows, so does the district’s responsibility to fund them. Under state law, school districts like Newark must provide charter schools with at least 90% of per-pupil funds for students who live in the district. Roughly 21,400 students are enrolled in 15 charter schools across Newark. During the meeting, South Ward resident and community advocate Maggie Freeman questioned why charter school representatives weren’t at the budget hearing yesterday to provide transparency on their spending in light of rising costs. “We don’t know if we’re double, triple, or quadruple paying, and taxpayers are absorbing that cost,” Freeman said. Aside from the $421 million, the district also projected spending just over $7 million for transportation costs for charter schools and nearly $5 million for students attending schools outside of the district.Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
