Newark Schools Project $74.1M Cushion, but Surplus Shrinks From $111M
Newark Board of Education • Newark Public SchoolsJune 18, 2026
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Newark Public Schools expects to close 2025-26 with a $74.1M favorable position. That cushion is about $37M thinner than at this point last year, and the district plans to draw $127M from fund balance next year. The Newark Board of Education closed its final meeting of the school year on June 18, 2026, by hearing the forecast, pushing for a graduation scheduling fix and, after midnight, unanimously adopting student cell phone policy amendments.
- $74.1M favorable year-end forecast, down from about $111M a year ago as costs rise and vacancies shrink
- Graduation overlap fixed for now: elementary ceremonies in mornings, high schools in afternoons on the last day
- Chronic absenteeism falls to 8.6%, down from 12.3% two years ago, though May attendance dipped
- Teachers urge Driscoll Foods divestment over the Delaney Hall ICE facility; NAACP demands Creed report release
- Cell phone policy amendments pass 9-0 after a teacher praises the ban's "nearly overnight" effect
- Dr. Marion A. Bolden named Superintendent Emerita, 9-0; Class of 2026 earns $269M in scholarships
Why it matters: The favorable variance is the money the district can fall back on. Next year's budget leans harder on it, with $127M in planned fund balance use, the largest draw of the past three years.
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