The Biden administration is lining up a big pay bump for early childhood educators, with one major asterisk: it risks forcing deep cuts to available classroom spots for high-need kids.

Larger Oklahoma districts could get an extra $1 million in state funding under a new proposal while another measure would cover the costs of banning cellphones.

The proposed aid, a $908 million increase from the current year, would be Murphy's final payment into the seven-year plan, outlined by a law he signed in 2018, to fully fund the state's school aid formula and redirect money to underfunded districts, including Newark Public Schools.

School facility upgrades can close about 10% of the achievement gap between high- and low-wealth school districts, while also increasing property values for the surrounding communities.