S 1579 provides supplemental state funding to eligible New Jersey school districts for the 2024-2025 school year. It ensures districts receive additional special education, security, and transportation aid if their current allocations fall below amounts calculated under the 2008 School Funding Reform Act. To qualify, districts must have faced two consecutive years of state aid reductions (2023-2024 and 2024-2025) and be spending below adequacy. The bill supplements existing state aid without altering the overall funding formula, aiming to prevent budget cuts for qualifying districts.
This bill establishes a program offering conditional admission to New Jersey public colleges for eligible high school seniors. It directly affects public high school students in grade 12 who are New Jersey residents for at least one year, applying full-time for the first time to a degree program. Admission is based on academic merit, including GPA, course rigor (like AP/IB classes), test scores, and state assessments, with colleges required to offer admission within their capacity. The program requires annual reporting on participant demographics and impact, but does not guarantee admission to specific majors or programs.
This New Jersey bill (S 155) allows school bus drivers to administer epinephrine to students experiencing severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) under specific conditions. It requires parental written consent, a doctor’s order confirming the student’s need for epinephrine, and that the parent provides a current epinephrine auto-injector for the school bus. School bus drivers must complete mandatory training, and the school district must provide liability protections to drivers and contractors. The policy applies only to students with documented severe allergies who have been authorized by their parents and doctors.
This bill requires New Jersey's public colleges and universities to grant academic credit to students who earned a score of 3 or higher on Advanced Placement (AP) exams or 50 or higher on College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) assessments while in high school. It applies to students pursuing associate or bachelor's degrees and mandates that institutions post their credit policies online and report changes to the Higher Education Secretary 60 days in advance. Institutions may seek limited exemptions for specific courses if they provide data showing higher score thresholds are necessary for student success in advanced coursework. The law takes effect immediately for the first full academic year after enactment.
New Jersey's S 1123 requires all public and nonpublic schools to have at least one FDA-registered portable anti-choking device (a suction-based airway-clearing tool) available in cafeterias, school nurse offices, and similar locations during school hours and events. The devices must be unlocked, easily accessible, and marked with clear signage. Schools must train all nurses and staff in airway management and device use, while the state will reimburse schools for related costs. This bill directly affects school districts and nonpublic schools across New Jersey, aiming to improve emergency response to choking incidents.
S 2014 establishes a New Jersey Department of Education grant program to reimburse full-time public school teachers for classroom supply expenses, directly affecting teachers in all public school districts. Teachers may receive up to $250 annually for eligible items like books, computers, or classroom materials (excluding physical education supplies), with reimbursement requiring submission of receipts to their school district. Unused funds after initial reimbursements cover teachers who spent over $250, with remaining balances carried forward to the next school year. The program is funded exclusively through federal pandemic relief funds (e.g., the American Rescue Plan Act), not state budget dollars.
New Jersey's S 2582 establishes the Grow Your Own Teacher Loan Redemption Program through the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. It repays up to $10,000 annually in student loan principal and interest for teachers who work full-time for five years in school districts designated as having a teacher shortage, specifically in the district where they graduated high school or where they resided for over five years. Participants must have graduated from or lived in a shortage district, hold a teaching position there, and maintain student loan debt. The program limits annual state spending to $500,000 and caps total repayment at $50,000 per participant over five years.
S 786 requires all New Jersey public school districts to include water safety instruction in K-12 health education starting with the 2023-2024 school year. The curriculum must cover flotation device use, recognizing water hazards, responding to rip currents, and swimming near lifeguard-monitored areas. This applies to every district implementing the state's Comprehensive Health and Physical Education standards. The law takes effect immediately upon enactment.
This bill (S 64) prevents New Jersey school districts that are spending below the state's adequacy standard from facing state aid reductions under existing law. It directly affects all public school districts and county vocational school districts meeting this spending threshold, regardless of their district type (SDA or non-SDA). The key mechanism eliminates the scheduled aid reductions for these districts by exempting them from the reduction schedule outlined in P.L.2018, c.67, ensuring they receive full state aid without cuts. The bill applies to the 2019-2020 through 2024-2025 school years.
This bill establishes a four-year pilot program to address teacher shortages and diversify school staff in New Jersey. It creates "Grow Your Own Partnerships" between school districts (prioritizing high-need SDA districts), charter schools, and colleges, which would recruit minority students who graduated from those schools. The program covers tuition, fees, and room/board for participating students at partner colleges, in exchange for a three-year teaching commitment in their home district upon graduation. The state would fund three selected partnerships annually, with the Department of Education overseeing implementation and reporting on progress. The bill is currently pending in the Senate Education Committee.
