Hoboken School District Receives $5,806,503 in COVID-19 Relief Money - Gov. Murphy Expected to Announce Vaccine Mandate for NJ Teachers

Hoboken, NJ (1978)
Photo by Virginia Parrott

Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to announce a mandate requiring all New Jersey teachers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the coming days, according to a report from NJ Advance Media.

According to the report, the Garden State would be the third state to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for teachers, behind California and Washington. The report cites two sources "with knowledge of Murphy's plans," calling the announcement "imminent."

It is not clear if the Hoboken Board of Education will be enacting an incentive plan as some communities. For instance, some districts are offering $500 incentives to school staff and teachers who have been vaccinated. 

It is worth noting that the Hoboken School District received $5,806,503 in NJ School Emergency Relief Funds in May of 2021 (see Figure 1). Might they offer vaccination incentives? Or perhaps the Hoboken Board of Education may want to consider returning the $3.8 million they unnecessarily caused taxpayers to pay by overestimating enrollment last year? Or maybe they have some other plan for how they intend to use the funds? 

Figure 1: NJ School Emergency Relief Funds (Hoboken, NJ)

The announcement of the incentive comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials have raised the COVID-19 alert level and reported that hospitalizations are rising at accelerated rates among all age groups, including children.