Four Hunterdon school districts sharing millions for preschool programs

Mike Deak, MyCentralJersey.com

Four Hunterdon County school districts will be receiving a total of $1.8 million to fund preschool programs.

The four districts – Bloomsbury, Delaware, Holland and Union – were among 16 statewide to receive the additional increase in state aid, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Tuesday.

Roselle, in Union County, was another Central Jersey school district to receive the boost, $934,496.

The four Hunterdon districts will receive:

  • Bloomsbury, $193,206

  • Delaware: $341,826

  • Holland: $535,032

  • Union: $772,824

The Union amount is more than $100,000 more than the district received in total state aid for the 2023-24 school year.

Delaware, Holland and Union had already received more than 12% increases in state aid, while Bloomsbury was cut 1.29%.

More: Central Jersey’s winners and losers in 2024-25 NJ public school funding

Tuesday's announcement of the new round of funding builds on the Murphy administration's commitment to reach toward the goal of providing every 3- and 4-year-old child in New Jersey with access to free, full-day preschool, state officials said.

The governor's budget for the 2024-25 school year proposes an additional $124 million for preschool education, including $20 million to expand high-quality, full-day preschool programs into new school districts.

“Access to early childhood education helps set the tone for the rest of a child’s educational career by providing innumerable benefits that will follow young learners throughout their lives,” Murphy said at a press conference in Secaucus with Acting Commissioner of Education Kevin Dehmer.

The Murphy administration has increased preschool funding by more than $427 million and added more than 14,600 preschool seats in New Jersey school districts, according to state officials.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ school districts sharing millions for preschool

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