This bill requires New Jersey school districts to provide bus transportation to public and nonpublic school students living within the standard distance limits (2 miles for elementary, 2.5 miles for secondary) but along routes designated as "hazardous" by the state. It establishes a process where the state transportation official, with input from police and education leaders, defines and designates hazardous routes based on specific safety criteria like traffic volume, road conditions, and pedestrian infrastructure. School districts must then provide transportation for students on these designated routes, and the state will annually review route designations to ensure they remain accurate. The policy directly affects students living near unsafe walking paths and school districts responsible for providing this transportation.
This bill establishes a system where New Jersey's state government directly pays for high-cost special education services for students requiring the most expensive placements (costing over $55,000 annually), shifting responsibility from school districts. It creates a new Office of High Needs Placement Funding within the Department of Education to contract with service providers and make 10 monthly payments starting in October each year. The bill directly affects students with disabilities needing intensive services, school districts currently covering these costs, and special education providers. The policy change aims to fulfill the state's funding obligations under federal special education law by ensuring direct state payment for these high-cost cases.
This bill allows eligible New Jersey educators (teachers in public or nonpublic K-12 schools) to deduct up to $1,200 from their taxable income for unreimbursed classroom supply expenses. It defines "classroom supplies" as items like books, pencils, computers, lab equipment, and other daily teaching materials. The deduction applies only to expenses not covered by the school and takes effect after enactment for future tax years. The bill does not change tax rates but provides a direct tax benefit for educators covering out-of-pocket costs.
This bill creates the Office of School Climate within New Jersey's Department of Education, led by a School Climate State Coordinator. It requires the Coordinator to develop and maintain a central online resource hub for parents and guardians, including a multilingual tutorial on identifying, preventing, and reporting harassment, intimidation, and bullying in schools. The tutorial must be available in languages commonly spoken by students' families. The bill also mandates legislative funding to support this office and its operations.
This bill appropriates $20 million from the General Fund to the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) specifically for school facility cleaning and sanitization during the COVID-19 pandemic. It directly affects public school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools that received a health department directive for a closure on or after March 9, 2020. Funds cover disinfectants, cleaning supplies, and increased personnel costs for enhanced cleaning schedules, with allocations based on student enrollment. The DOE must establish an expedited application and disbursement process for these funds.
This bill creates a $2 million grant program within New Jersey's Department of Education to help schools provide internet and device access for economically disadvantaged students. It requires schools receiving grants to maintain one "online instruction equipment" unit (a connected device like a laptop plus a Wi-Fi hotspot or mobile broadband service) for every 12 students enrolled. Schools with the highest number of students lacking internet access will receive priority for funding. The program applies to public school districts, charter schools, and renaissance schools, with funds covering equipment costs to support remote learning.
This bill establishes a $20 million annual financing program through New Jersey's Infrastructure Bank to help school districts replace diesel school buses with electric ones and install charging infrastructure. It directs the Infrastructure Bank to provide loans and financial assistance to school districts, prioritizing those in "overburdened communities" as defined by state law. School districts must complete energy assessments comparing costs and environmental benefits of electric buses before receiving funding. The program uses existing societal benefits charge revenues, federal funds, and loan repayments to sustain the initiative without requiring new state taxes.
This New Jersey bill (A 323) requires public school districts to charge tuition to students who are not U.S. citizens or legal immigrants, while allowing citizens and legal immigrants to attend free. Specifically, schools must verify a child's citizenship or immigration status before enrollment; students without documentation must pay annual tuition of at least $1,000 per year. Districts must report the number of tuition-paying students and collected funds in school report cards, and post this data online. The bill directly affects non-citizen students, including undocumented children, and aims to shift educational costs away from taxpayers by requiring tuition payments from this group.
This bill (A 3819) requires all New Jersey 11th grade students to complete a mandatory United States civics course starting in the 2023-2024 school year as part of their high school graduation requirements. The course must cover democratic principles, U.S. government, and New Jersey's state, county, and municipal governments to prepare students for civic participation. Local school boards must provide the course, and the State Board of Education must ensure it is included in graduation requirements. The policy directly affects all public high school students in 11th grade across New Jersey.
This bill requires all New Jersey high school students pursuing a state-endorsed diploma to complete a one-semester financial literacy course. It directly affects high school students by mandating curriculum covering budgeting, savings, credit, debt, taxes, college financial planning, banking, and consumer skills. The course must be taught by teachers with appropriate endorsements and cannot be satisfied by existing economics or business courses. The requirement applies to students entering 12th grade in the 2027-2028 school year.
