As part of our Special Series, “New Jersey’s Next Governor: Decision 2025,” Mayor of Jersey City, Steven Fulop (D) – NJ, joins Steve Adubato to discuss representative democracy, improving the school funding formula, transportation issues with New Jersey Transit and goals for his 2025 gubernatorial campaign.

Regarding concerns about the fairness and effectiveness of the state’s school funding formula, with over 600 school districts and 150 losing state revenue, Steve Adubato asks Mayor Fulop what he believes needs to be done to improve the public school funding formula. Mayor Fulop responds, “I think education is one of the things that New Jersey does very well– traditional K through 12. Governor Murphy has made a commitment there and he’s followed through on it and deserves credit for it. There’s no question that the school funding formula is dated. It was implemented under Governor Corzine. The landscape has certainly shifted. How we deal with special education is a place that we could obviously reform. That was initially intended to be changed in 2006, and neither Governor Murphy nor Governor Christy leaned into that. That could have a significant impact on local municipalities.”