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.
This bill expands New Jersey's NJ STARS scholarship program to include students who receive equivalent instruction outside traditional schools (such as homeschoolers). It allows these students to qualify for the first year of scholarship funding if they meet academic achievement criteria set by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, similar to requirements for traditionally schooled students. The policy change specifically updates eligibility rules in Section 5(b) of the NJ STARS statute to include this group. For subsequent years, scholarship renewal would still require maintaining a 3.0 GPA, as currently required for all recipients. This change applies to students beginning college enrollment in the 2018-2019 academic year or later.
This bill requires New Jersey's public colleges and universities to award academic credit to undergraduate students who volunteer as emergency responders. To qualify, students must have served within five years of enrollment (or concurrently), provided proof of hours, volunteered with an officially recognized fire/rescue/ambulance group or emergency management office, and held the required certification during service. Credit is calculated based on verified hours and applied toward relevant coursework. The Secretary of Higher Education must develop standardized credit recommendations for institutions. The law takes effect immediately for the next full academic year after enactment.
This bill requires New Jersey's Secretary of Higher Education to create guidelines for colleges and universities based on 10 best practices identified in a 2022 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. It directly affects all New Jersey institutions of higher education and proprietary schools offering degrees by mandating they clearly show: total and net costs of attendance, direct vs. indirect expenses, standardized terms for aid, student rights to accept/decline offers, contact information for aid assistance, and banning the term "award" in offers. The guidelines must align with federal "College Financing Plan" standards and avoid duplicating federal requirements. The goal is to improve transparency in financial aid offers, addressing findings that most institutions currently omit key cost details like net price or total attendance costs.
This bill (A 2066) establishes the "New Jersey STEM Scholars Grant Pilot Program" to provide competitive grants to public school districts, renaissance schools, and charter schools. The program funds three specific STEM education approaches: project-based learning, after-school STEM activities, and out-of-school STEM experiences. Schools applying must detail how funds will enhance existing programs or create new ones, recruit students, support educators, and ensure long-term sustainability. Grants must supplement, not replace, existing STEM funding and are subject to annual state appropriations. The program runs for four years, with funding sourced from state appropriations and private donations.
This bill (A 3330) creates a program to help New Jersey teachers reduce their student loan debt. It allows teachers who borrowed under the NJCLASS program to have 10% of their loan principal and interest paid by the state for each full year they work as a teacher in a New Jersey public or nonpublic school. To qualify, teachers must be NJ residents, have initially been hired as teachers after the bill takes effect, and sign a contract committing to a specific number of service years. The program requires full school-year service each year to earn the 10% reduction, with debt reduction applied annually after proof of employment is submitted.
This bill requires New Jersey public school districts to add instruction about the dangers of texting while driving to health education for students in grades 9 through 12, starting with the 2012-2013 school year. The curriculum must cover how texting while driving correlates with dangerous driving behaviors (like lane-weaving) and provide statistics on accidents, injuries, and fatalities linked to this behavior. School districts must use this content as part of their existing health education standards, and the Commissioner of Education will provide sample lesson materials and resources to support implementation. The bill takes immediate effect upon passage.
