This bill provides supplemental state funding to specific New Jersey school districts that received reduced special education, security, and transportation aid under recent funding formulas. It directly affects districts that experienced aid cuts in both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years while spending below state adequacy standards. The key mechanism requires the state to cover the difference between current aid amounts and the higher levels calculated under the 2008 School Funding Reform Act for eligible districts. This temporary measure aims to prevent budget shortfalls for these districts during the 2024-2025 school year.
This New Jersey bill requires the Department of Education to study student caregivers in high schools. The study will examine challenges faced by students caring for family members at home, absenteeism rates among these students, and how caregiving impacts graduation rates and college enrollment. Within one year, the Education Commissioner must submit a report with findings and any recommendations for potential support programs. The bill directly affects high school students in public and nonpublic schools who serve as primary caregivers.
This bill updates New Jersey's school funding formulas and creates a Special Education Funding Review Task Force. It requires the education commissioner to notify school districts annually about funding amounts, including per-pupil costs, special education aid, and geographic adjustments, based on the state's Educational Adequacy Report. The bill clarifies how districts calculate their required local tax levies and adjusts special education funding when actual aid differs from initial projections. It directly affects all New Jersey public school districts by changing how state aid is calculated and distributed. The Special Education Funding Review Task Force will be established to examine funding mechanisms for students with disabilities.
This bill establishes the New Jersey School Counts County College Scholarship Program, providing up to $4,000 in tuition, book, and fee assistance to eligible high school graduates attending county colleges. To qualify, students must earn a School Counts certificate by maintaining 95% attendance, achieving a C average or higher, completing Algebra I, and meeting graduation requirements during high school. The scholarship covers costs after other financial aid is applied, requires full-time enrollment (24+ credits annually), and must be used within six months of high school graduation. County colleges can receive state matching funds if they raise private donations to support student scholarships.
This bill (A 2308) requires New Jersey health insurance carriers to cover enrollment in recovery high school alternative education programs for students with substance use disorders. It directly affects students in these programs and health insurers, mandating coverage when a certified professional (like a counselor or physician) determines it is clinically appropriate based on DSM criteria. The law specifies that this coverage must be provided under the same terms as other medical benefits, without extra copays, deductibles, or limits. It amends existing insurance laws to include this specific benefit for recovery high schools established under P.L.2015, c.254. The bill is currently pending before the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee.
This bill creates a two-year scholarship program for undergraduate students at New Jersey public colleges who commit to community service in climate action, K-12 education, or food insecurity. Students receiving $10,000 scholarships must serve 15 hours weekly in these fields for one academic year and agree to work full-time in related careers after graduation. The bill appropriates $9 million for 900 scholarships ($10,000 each) and $1 million to fund $100,000 grants for 10 public colleges to establish community partnerships supporting these service opportunities. It requires institutions to develop programs offering academic credit, professional development, and connections to community organizations in the targeted fields.
This bill creates the Office of Community Schools within New Jersey's Department of Education to support public schools, charter schools, and renaissance schools in implementing community-based educational models. The office will provide training, grants, and technical assistance to schools adopting these models, which integrate educational, health, and family services to address student needs. It allocates $10 million total ($2 million from the state budget and $8 million from federal funds) to establish the office and fund its activities. The office must publish a statewide list of participating schools and submit annual reports to the Governor and Legislature.
This bill establishes a 12-member Commission on Oversight of Public Institutions of Higher Education to examine and improve financial transparency, accountability, and oversight of New Jersey's public colleges and universities. The commission includes officials, college presidents, labor union representatives, faculty, and student representatives appointed by the Governor and legislative leaders. It will study tuition transparency, student outcomes, and institutional performance, then issue a report to the Governor and Legislature within 180 days of organizing. The commission's work expires 30 days after the report is submitted.
This bill requires school districts to include transportation considerations in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities who receive transportation services. Specifically, IEP teams must address students' medical, behavioral, and equipment needs during transportation planning, and must include the school district's director of transportation at all IEP meetings (unless parents consent otherwise or no transportation is needed). It also mandates that IEP teams, with parent input, complete a "student information card" detailing transportation needs, which must be kept with the IEP and accessible on the school bus to all drivers and aides. This directly affects students with disabilities receiving transportation, their families, school districts, and bus personnel.
This bill directs New Jersey's State Board of Education to create a "general science" endorsement for teacher instructional certificates. It allows certified teachers to teach any high school science course (grades 9-12) with this endorsement. To qualify, teachers must hold a science-related bachelor's or master's degree, maintain a 3.0 GPA, pass basic skills and subject-specific tests, and meet other commissioner-set requirements. Current teachers with specific science endorsements (biology, chemistry, etc.) can apply for this broader endorsement if they meet these standards.
