Board Governance and Elections
New Law: S-4654/A-5878 | Support
Summary Provides for publication of required legal notices on government internet websites and through certain online news publications.
Sponsors Sen. Scutari (D22), Sen. Bucco (R25) / Asm. Schnall (D30), Asm. Inganamort (R24)
Status Signed by the governor on June 30, 2025 (P.L.2025, c.72).
Notes The NJSBA joined the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, and the New Jersey Association of Counties, to collectively and successfully advocate for a change in statute to permit local governing bodies to post public notices on their own government websites, to comply with the Open Public Meetings Act or any other legal notice requirements.
New Law: S-4476/A-5780 | Support
Summary Permits awarding of contracts for certain preschool education services by resolution of board of education; extends maximum length of preschool education services contracts to three years.
Sponsors Sen. Ruiz (D29), Sen. Gopal (D11) / Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15), Asw. Carter (D22), Asw. Morales (D34)
Status Signed by the governor on July 9, 2025 (P.L.2025, c.101).
A-5847/S-4608 | Monitoring
Summary Extends deadline for completion of school district’s annual audit for 2024-2025 school year.
Sponsors Asm. Coughlin (D19) / Sen. Sarlo (D36)
Status Passed in Assembly 79-1-0; passed in Senate 36-3; awaiting governor’s signature.
S-3905 | Support
Summary Requires Department of Community Affairs to establish online, statewide database of local government unit legal notices.
Sponsors Sen. Corrado (R40), Sen. Beach (D6)
Status Approved by Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Notes This bill was heard in committee prior to S-4654/A-5878 (above) being introduced.
S-341 | Monitoring
Summary Requires Commissioner of Education to recommend dates for spring break in school districts.
Sponsors Sen. Diegnan (D18)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee.
S-3600 | Express Concerns
Summary Establishes mediation process for school ethics complaints.
Sponsors Sen. Corrado (R40), Sen. McKnight (D31)
Status Posted “For Discussion Only” by Senate Education Committee.
Curriculum and Instruction
A-1682/S-1054 | Express Concerns
Summary Requires State Board of Education to adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards pertaining to labor movement; requires school districts to provide instruction on labor movement.
Sponsors Asm. Atkins (D20), Asw. Carter (D22), Asm. Sampson (D31) / Sen. Greenstein (D14), Sen. Gopal (D11)
Status Passed in Assembly 64-3-5; amended and passed in Senate 35-3; returned to Assembly to concur with Senate amendments and passed 76-3-0; awaiting governor’s signature.
S-2335/S-3096/A-3871 | Support
Summary Requires school districts to provide instruction on history of Latinos and Hispanics as part of implementation of New Jersey Student Learning Standards.
Sponsors Sen. Ruiz (D29), Sen. Stack (D33), Sen. McKnight (D31) / Asm. Marenco (D33), Asw. Pintor Marin (D29), Asw. Morales (D34), Asw. Quijano (D20)
Status Passed in Senate 40-0; passed in Assembly 73-1-6; awaiting governor’s signature.
S-3457/A-2414 | Support
Summary Establishes “New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission” to review before-school, after-school, and summer programs.
Sponsors Sen. McKnight (D31), Sen. Ruiz (D29) / Asw. Quijano (D20), Asw. Sumter (D35), Asw. Bagolie (D27)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee; approved by Assembly Education Committee and referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee.
S-2818 | Monitoring
Summary “Fentanyl and Xylazine Poisoning Awareness Act”; requires school districts to provide instruction on dangers of fentanyl and xylazine.
Sponsors Sen. Schepisi (R39), Sen. Gopal (D11)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
S-2881 | Support
Summary Authorizes school districts to establish electric vehicle certification programs.
Sponsors Sen. Greenstein (D14), Sen. Beach (D6)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee.
School Funding
New Law: S-3910/A-5717 | Support & Express Concerns
Summary Makes various changes to provision of preschool aid and facilities requirements; establishes Universal Preschool Implementation Steering Committee; requires full-day kindergarten in all school districts.
Sponsors Sen. Ruiz (D29), Sen. Turner (D15) / Asw. Katz (D8), Asm. Stanley (D18)
Status Signed by the governor on July 9, 2025 (P.L.2025, c.100).
Notes “Our association is thrilled to back this unprecedented legislation that demonstrates New Jersey’s long-term commitment to expanding access to early child education. It’s the right thing to do for the youngest children in New Jersey’s public schools. Beyond their preschool and kindergarten years, this investment in programs and facilities will establish a firm foundation for ongoing success in school and careers. We also are aware that school districts will need solid financial support to continue providing high-quality early childhood programs and look forward to working with all stakeholders to give them the resources they will require. In particular, we would like to thank Governor Murphy, Majority Leader Ruiz, Assemblywoman Katz, Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson, Speaker Coughlin, Senate President Scutari and Commissioner Dehmer for their leadership and collaboration on this critical issue.” – Dr. Timothy J. Purnell, NJSBA executive director and CEO, said in press release issued by Gov. Murphy upon signing of the bill.
New Law: A-5908/S-4695 | Monitoring
Summary Amends FY2026 appropriations act to revise various language provisions concerning early childhood education.
Sponsors Asw. Pintor Marin (D29) / Sen. Ruiz (D29)
Status Signed by the governor on July 9, 2025 (P.L.2025, c.102).
Notes This law aligns FY2026 budget language with language in S-3910/A-5717 (above).
A-4854/S-4312 | Monitoring
Summary Modifies method of allocating state aid for providing auxiliary and remedial services to nonpublic school students.
Sponsors Asm. Schnall (D30), Asm. Schaer (D36), Asw. Pintor Marin (D29) / Sen. Diegnan (D18)
Status Passed in Assembly 78-0; approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
S-3917 | Support
Summary Makes various changes to school funding law and Educational Adequacy Report; establishes Special Education Funding Review Task Force.
Sponsor Sen. Gopal (D11), Sen. Singleton (D7)
Status Passed in Senate 38-1.
S-4069 | Support
Summary Requires cost-benefit analyses for long term tax exemption, and requires DCA to create database of exemptions; requires five-year tax exemption and abatement agreements to be filed with certain county officials.
Sponsor Sen. Singleton (D7), Sen. Mukherji (D32)
Status Approved by Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee, and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
School Security
S-4440/A-5720 | Support
Summary Requires key boxes at public school buildings; appropriates $2.5 million.
Sponsor Sen. McKnight (D31), Sen. Turner (D15) / Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15), Asw. Carter (D22)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee; approved by Assembly Education Committee and referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Special Education
S-3982/A-5492 | Support
Summary Requires certain information be provided to parent at least two business days prior to annual Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meeting; establishes IEP Improvement Working Group in DOE.
Sponsor Sen. Ruiz (D29) / Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15), Asw. Carter (D22), Asw. Morales (D34)
Status Passed in Senate 39-0; amended and passed in Assembly 80-0-0; returned to Senate to concur with Assembly amendments and passed 39-0; awaiting governor’s signature.
Staffing and Labor Issues
New Law: A-5077/S-4375 | Support
Summary Extends statutory pause on collection of student growth objective data.
Sponsors Asw. Morales (D34), Asw. Bagolie (D27), Asw. Carter (D22) / Sen. Ruiz (D29), Sen. Zwicker (D16)
Status Signed by the governor on June 30, 2025 (P.L.2025, c.79).
New Law: A-5075/S-3933 | Support
Summary Establishes School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program; appropriates $500,000.
Sponsors Asw. Swain (D38), Asw. Morales (D34), Asw. Bagolie (D27) / Sen. Ruiz (D29), Sen. McKnight (D31)
Status Signed by the governor on June 30, 2025 (P.L.2025, c.78).
A-1675/S-2078 | Monitoring
Summary Extends membership in the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund to 10 years after discontinuance of service and to 15 years for those who were laid off or had 10 or more years of continuous service upon voluntary termination.
Sponsors Asw. Lampitt (D6), Asw. Bagolie (D27), Asm. Stanley (D18) / Sen. Gopal (D11), Sen. Greenstein (D14)
Status Passed in Assembly 69-6-0; passed in Senate 31-5; returned to Assembly to concur with Senate amendments and passed 69-9-0; awaiting governor’s signature.
A-3323/S-3713 | Monitoring
Summary Requires pay for extracurricular activities to be included in compensation for Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund purposes.
Sponsors Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15), Asm. Simonsen (R1) / Sen. Polistina (R2), Sen. Turner (D15)
Status Passed in Assembly 66-10-1; passed in Senate 31-6; awaiting governor’s signature.
S-4515 | Support
Summary Limits certain requirements for certification of career and technical education teachers.
Sponsors Sen. Gopal (D11), Sen. Turner (D15)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee.
S-3601 | Express Concerns
Summary Modifies laws regarding compensation and leaves of absence for certain public employees who served in the military; requires public employers follow certain policies and procedures for leaves of absence.
Sponsors Sen. Amato (R9)
Status Approved by Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Notes While supportive of the bill’s intent to enhance benefits provided for public employees who serve in the military, reserves, or National Guard, the NJSBA is concerned that shifting employee contributions for health care and retirement plans onto public employers (including boards of education) during an employee’s leave of absence may place an unconstitutional, unfunded mandate on those employers.
Student Health and Safety
New Law: S-4632/A-5812 | Support
Summary Establishes grant program in DOE for public schools to purchase and install point-of-use filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets.
Sponsors Sen. Scutari (D22), Sen. Ruiz (D29) / Asm. Schaer (D36)
Status Signed by the governor on June 30, 2025 (P.L.2025, c.76).
New Law: S-3961/A-5263 | Monitoring
Summary Requires public and nonpublic schools to offer no-fee option to parents for making school lunch and other payments; requires payment processing platforms used by these schools to provide users with information on user fees.
Sponsors Sen. Ruiz (D29), Sen. Scutari (D22) / Asw. Haider (D37), Asw. Morales (D34), Asm. Karabinchak (D18)
Status Signed by the governor on July 8, 2025 (P.L.2025, c.94).
A-3424/S-1784 | Support
Summary Establishes certain program requirements for school counselor certification; outlines role and duties of school counselor; requires professional development for school counselors; establishes position of School Counselor Liaison in DOE.
Sponsors Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15), Asw. Matsikoudis (R21) / Sen. McKnight (D31)
Status Passed in Assembly 72-2-3; passed in Senate 39-0; awaiting governor’s signature.
A-4897/S-3769 | Support
Summary Revises law requiring certain student identification cards to contain telephone number for suicide prevention hotline.
Sponsors Asw. Carter (D22), Asm. Atkins (D20), Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15) / Sen. Cryan (D20), Sen. Amato (R9)
Status Passed in Assembly 72-0-0; passed in Senate 39-0; awaiting governor’s signature.
A-1406/S-2167 | Monitoring
Summary Requires public schools and certain nonpublic schools to comply with most stringent school lunch and breakfast nutrition standards.
Sponsors Asw. Haider (D37), Asw. Swain (D38) / Sen. Ruiz (D29), Sen. Vitale (D19)
Status Passed in Senate 39-0; passed in Assembly 79-0-0; awaiting governor’s signature.
S-2376/A-2255 | Support
Summary Requires boards of education to ensure that all staff are trained in care of students with epilepsy and seizure disorders every five years.
Sponsors Sen. Beach (D6), Sen. Vitale (D19) / Asw. Lopez (D19), Asm. Sampson (D31)
Status Passed in Senate 38-0; approved by Assembly Education Committee.
A-3742/S-1637 | Support
Summary Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $4,500,000.
Sponsors Asm. Freiman (D16), Asw. McCoy (D14), Asw. Drulis (D16) / Sen. Zwicker (D16), Sen. Turner (D15)
Status Passed in Assembly 77-2-1; approved by Senate Economic Growth Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
A-4763 | Support
Summary Requires development of educational fact sheet on water safety for public and nonpublic schools; requires DOE to maintain list of locations providing swim lessons.
Sponsors Asw. Collazos-Gill (D27), Asm. Kean (R30), Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15)
Status Passed in Assembly 78-0.
A-4762 | Support
Summary Designates May of each year as “Water Safety Month” in NJ; encourages DOE to provide resources on water safety.
Sponsors Asw. Collazos-Gill (D27), Asm. Kean (R30), Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15)
Status Passed in Assembly 78-0.
A-3019 | Support
Summary Requires new flooring for schools and child care centers to be certified mercury-free.
Sponsors Asm. Calabrese (D36), Asm. Stanley (D18), Asm. Danielsen (D17)
Status Approved by Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee and amended on Assembly floor.
A-2367 | Support
Summary Establishes public awareness campaign on dangers of social media use to minors; appropriates $500,000.
Sponsors Asm. Tully (D38), Asm. Karabinchak (D18), Asm. Calabrese (D36)
Status Approved by Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, approved by Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee, and referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee.
A-4613 | Monitoring
Summary Requires several State agencies to review and increase, if authorized, income eligibility standards for certain public assistance, school nutrition, and higher education student financial assistance programs; makes an appropriation.
Sponsors Asw. Speight (D29), Asw. Hall (D28), Asm. Atkins (D20)
Status Approved by Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee and referred to Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee.
SCR-128 | Support
Summary Urges school districts to establish concussion management teams.
Sponsors Sen. Diegnan (D18), Sen. Burzichelli (D3)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee.
Transportation
S-3858 | Monitoring
Summary Requires school bus personnel members to call 911 emergency line in potential life-threatening emergencies; requires certain school buses transporting students with disabilities to be equipped with certain safety features; makes appropriation.
Sponsors Sen. Bucco (R25), Sen. Diegnan (D18)
Status Passed in Senate 39-0.
A-1423 | Oppose
Summary Requires MVC to conduct unscheduled surprise inspections of certain school buses.
Sponsors Asw. Haider (D37), Asm. Stanley (D18), Asm. Calabrese (D36)
Status Approved by Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee; referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Miscellaneous
New Law: S-4162/A-5469 | Support
Summary Limits use or disclosure of certain education records.
Sponsors Sen. Turner (D15), Sen. Ruiz (D29) / Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15), Asw. Carter (D22), Asw. Morales (D34)
Status Signed by the governor on July 8, 2025 (P.L.2025, c.95).
S-3776/A-5779 | Support
Summary Establishes Chronic Absenteeism Task Force.
Sponsors Sen. Turner (D15), Sen. McKnight (D31) / Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15), Asw. Carter (D22), Asw. Morales (D34)
Status Passed in Senate 38-0; passed in Assembly 80-0-0; returned to Senate to concur with Assembly amendments and passed 39-0; awaiting governor’s signature.
S-3902 | Support
Summary Permits excused absence for students participating in college visits, visits to postsecondary technical institutions, and military recruitment-related activities.
Sponsors Sen. Bucco (R25), Sen. Bramnick (R21)
Status Passed in Senate 38-0.
A-1997/S-2867 | Support
Summary Requires DOE to partner with nonprofit organization to establish central registry of individuals and organizations interested in providing supplemental tutoring support to students.
Sponsors Asw. Speight (D29), Asw. Carter (D22), Asm. Venezia (D34) / Sen. Ruiz (D29), Sen. Turner (D15)
Status Passed in Assembly 77-0; approved by Senate Education Committee.
FY26 State Budget
On Monday, June 30, the New Jersey Legislature adopted the state budget for fiscal year 2026, which Governor Murphy then signed into law. The overall budget totals $58.8 billion, and covers the year from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
The educational components of the Appropriations Act (S-2026/A-5800) largely align with the governor’s proposed budget, which he announced in February, and which was covered in depth in School Board Notes. The breakdown below provides an overview of funding items most relevant to members of the New Jersey School Boards Association, and highlights key differences between the proposed budget and final budget.
K-12 Formula Aid
The final budget allocates approximately $12.09 billion to fund the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) formula, a 3.6% increase over FY25. Formula funding remained identical to the governor’s budget message from February.
The budget includes some significant developments regarding the funding formula that reflect various advocacy priorities of the NJSBA. First, the budget includes several tools to decrease aid volatility and increase predictability. As announced by NJDOE on Feb. 18, the state will limit, by a maximum of 3%, decreases in the four main categories of state aid for each district. (Those categories are equalization, special education, security, and transportation aid. Changes to other aid categories, including Choice Funding, Military Impact Aid, County Vocational Stabilization Aid, and Educational Adequacy Aid – which are determined through factors such as annual participation or enrollment – are not among the categories being held to that reduction cap.) The budget will also cap year-over-year increases in aid in those four main categories at 6%. Additionally, the Administration will use three-year averages for property values and income when calculating a district’s local fair share. Finally, the proposal includes a switch in calculating special education aid using actual enrollment numbers. These changes were accounted for in the calculations of state aid provided to districts earlier this year.
Because these changes were made through budget language rather than traditional legislation, they will only be applicable to FY26, unless additional legislation is passed to make any or all of them permanent. However, there is language in the Appropriations Act that would require NJDOE to “undertake an examination of codifying school funding policies and ensuring that these policies are enacted through distinct and non-temporary legislation.” NJDOE will need to engage stakeholders and file a report with the administration by December 1.
Tax Levy Incentive Aid
The Administration’s proposal for Tax Levy Incentive Aid was approved in the final budget. This aid, which would divide $20 million among districts that increase local revenue above the 2% tax levy cap, is being made available to districts who are raising below their local fair share and spending below adequacy. The governor’s proposal also allowed these districts to exceed the two-percent property tax levy cap to help them achieve adequacy. Eligible districts were notified of this flexibility in March and were required to apply to NJDOE in April. The legislature added a language provision in the FY2026 Appropriations Act stipulating that districts who are permitted to exceed their tax levy will only be able to use the increased revenues to retain classroom staff and to fund programs that directly involve students. It explicitly prohibits using the increased revenues for administrative purposes, for increases in staff salaries that are not contractually obligated, or to fund school facilities or other capital projects.
Preschool Aid
The budget will increase preschool education aid by $34.6 million (2.8 percent), for a total of $1.27 billion. This funding will fully fund programs started in 2024-2025 and will include $10 million to expand programs into new districts.
Extraordinary Special Education Aid
The budget will maintain funding for Extraordinary Special Education Aid at its FY24 and FY25 levels: $420 million.
Academic Programs
The budget includes funding for several academic initiatives:
- The budget includes a total of $4.9 million for literacy initiatives, following the literacy package Gov. Murphy signed in 2024.
- The budget also includes $7.5 million in new grant funding to support districts offering high-impact tutoring to students in need of extra academic support.
- The budget includes $1 million in extended funding for computer science and artificial intelligence education initiatives.
Student Health
The final budget includes:
- $3 million for a new grant program to support schools in removing cell phones from classrooms.
- $2 million in new funding for school lead filters.
- $20 million in funding for school meals through the Working-Class Families Anti-Hunger Act (an increase of $8 million from FY25).
- Level funding ($43 million) for the New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) network of regional hubs, launched in 2023, to coordinate and deliver youth mental wellness services at various community locations, including schools. To date, services have been provided to over 460,000 students.
School Facilities and Operations
The budget includes flat funding for school construction in FY26. The Administration plans to disburse an additional $350 million from the $1.9 billion that was appropriated to the Schools Development Authority in 2022 “for current projects and to help the SDA move forward on projects identified in its 2019 Statewide Strategic Plan.” Like the previous budget year, $50 million of additional General Fund appropriations will be available to support capital maintenance and emergent projects in SDA districts.
The proposal also includes a decrease in funding to Local Efficiency Achievement Program (LEAP) and School Regionalization Efficiency Program (SREP) grants. Funding for those grant programs, which support shared services and school district consolidation efforts, totaled $8 million in FY25, while the budget only appropriates $1 million in the upcoming budget year.
Other Initiatives
The budget will decrease funding for teachers’ scholarships, stipends, and loan redemption, from $15 million to $4.3 million.
Finally, the governor’s initial budget proposal included $1 million in new “Youth Vote Expansion Grants” that would have been made available to “local government leaders across New Jersey to create new opportunities for 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local school board elections.” However, the final approved budget no longer includes this line item.
More details on the fiscal year 2026 appropriations can be found in the documents below:
- FY26 Appropriations Bill, As Introduced (S-2026/A-5800)
- FY26 Appropriations Bill Score Sheet (indicates changes from governor’s budget proposal)
- FY26 Appropriations Bill Language Changes (indicates changes from governor’s budget proposal)
- Line Item Veto Message
- Line Item Veto Summary
- NJDOE 2025-26 State Aid Summaries
- FY26 Governor’s Proposed Budget (from February 2025)
