NJ School Aid 2025-26: See How Brick Schools Fared

BRICK, NJ — For the last seven years, the Brick Township Schools have grappled with reductions to the state funding provided to the school district.

The cuts, mandated under a state law that purported to balance out imbalances in funding from the School Funding Reform Act of 2008, have had multiple impacts in Brick, including reductions in teaching staff and increased classroom sizes.

For the 2025-26 school year, the district will be faced with a different kind of budget season: the Brick Township Schools are receiving an increase in state funding. The total aid package from the state under Gov. Phil Murphy's proposed budget is $15,390,753, an increase of $871,175 over the 2024-25 funding, according to figures released by the state Department of Education on Thursday.

That change is not because the state has become more generous; it reflects changes in how the state is funding one of the most challenging categories for districts: special education aid.

Brick Township is slated to receive $9,959,518 in assistance for its special education students, a 72 percent increase over the $5,784,673 received last year.

The change is the result of a move from funding special education based on an estimate of the number of special education students in an area to funding the actual number of students being served.

The increase in special education aid, while a significant help, was offset by the elimination of educational adequacy aid and a reduction in transportation aid. Security aid increased by more than $200,000.