S 1106 New Jersey Senate · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Establishes "STEM Curriculum Grant Program" for certain school districts; makes appropriation.

S 1106 establishes a state-funded STEM grant program targeting at-risk students (defined as those from households earning at or below 1.85x the federal poverty level) in grades 6-8 across selected school districts. The bill requires participating districts to provide hands-on STEM projects, offer an accelerated learning option for students behind grade level (allowing two years of coursework in one year), and include staff training and classroom resources. It appropriates $2.25 million from the General Fund to the Department of Education, which will partner with the nonprofit Engaged Learning Strategies to administer the program. Districts must already have existing STEM programs meeting specific criteria and must serve at least 60 at-risk students per district. The program aims to expand project-based STEM learning in qualifying schools through direct funding and structured curriculum support.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Mar 2, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Technical Review Of Prefiled Bill Introduced · 3 edits · Jan 13, 2026
MINOR
The bill transitioned from a Senate Education Committee report with technical review to an introduced version pending technical review by Legislative Counsel. No substantive changes were made to the operative text of the bill (sections 1-4). A new legislative statement was added at the end describing the STEM Curriculum Grant Program, its requirements, and the sponsor's intent.
TECHNICAL

Status changed from 'As reported by the Senate Education Committee with technical review' to 'Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel,' reflecting the bill moving from committee to floor introduction.

Minor line-break reformatting in Section 3 (the $2,250,000 appropriation language) with no change to the substantive text.

SCOPE

A legislative statement was added describing that the bill establishes a STEM Curriculum Grant Program for at-risk students in grades 6-8, requires selection of at least two school districts with existing qualifying STEM programs, and mandates hands-on project-based courses, an accelerated learning option allowing two grade levels in one year, and professional development.

Floor votes

How they voted

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
3
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Mar 2, 2026
Committee
Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee
upper
Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Nilsa Cruz-Perez
Nilsa Cruz-Perez
DDemocratic
NJ
5