As the 2026-2027 legislative session kicks into gear, several committees met over the last week to consider legislation, including some bills relevant to boards of education. The full Senate and Assembly also gathered for their first voting sessions of 2026-2027, in which they both approved legislation (S-3219/A-4073) to delay the delivery of the governor’s fiscal year 2027 budget message until March 10. The governor is normally required to announce the proposed state budget by the fourth Tuesday of February, but it is customary for the legislature to grant a newly elected governor two additional weeks to develop the proposed budget. The delay of the budget message means that districts will also receive their state aid figures two weeks later than usual. More information from NJDOE on the updated budget calendar is likely forthcoming, and we will share that once it becomes public.
In addition to the committees listed below, the Senate Judiciary Committee met on Thursday, Feb. 19, to consider several of Gov. Sherrill’s cabinet nominees. One of the nominees interviewed by the committee was Dr. Lily Laux, who is Sherrill’s nominee for commissioner of education. The committee moved forward with her nomination, which now awaits a vote by the full Senate.
The New Jersey School Boards Association is monitoring all bills relevant to boards of education, and will continue to post timely Legislative Updates in School Board Notes to highlight recent legislative action. For the most up-to-date information regarding specific legislation, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
Assembly Education Committee
The Assembly Education Committee met on Thursday, Feb. 19 and received testimony from invited guests on news reports of school budget deficits in several school districts across the state and what state policymakers should do to correct and prevent these situations in the future. In addition, the committee approved the following bills relevant to boards of education:
Appropriation for Freedom Schools A-1732 would appropriate $3 million annually from funds collected by the Social Equity Excise Fee on cannabis to the Department of State to support Freedom Schools in New Jersey. Freedom Schools, supported by the New Jersey Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, provide education and character-building support to K-12 students and their families by implementing an intensive academic summer program and continuous follow-up, homework, and tutoring services throughout the academic year. Funding for Freedom Schools has previously been allocated through the state’s annual budget.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
Link to Subsidized School Meals Application A-3882 would require public schools to post a link to the subsidized school meals application in a prominent location on the school’s website. The subsidized school meals application is established in state law to determine eligibility for the National School Lunch Program and the federal School Breakfast Program, as well as state supplements to those programs. To receive benefits under federal programs and state supplements, a parent or guardian must complete and submit a subsidized school meals application each school year.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
School Bus Monitoring Systems A-3887 would authorize the use of a school bus monitoring system to enforce existing state law governing the passing of school buses. A school bus monitoring system is defined as a system that meets the requirements outlined in the bill and that has at least one camera and a computer that captures and records a digital video or image of any motor vehicle operating near a school bus. Under the bill, civil penalties imposed and collected for this violation would be forwarded to the municipality’s financial officer and used for general municipal and school district purposes. The bill would also authorize a municipality or school district operating or providing Type I or Type II school buses that transport students to contract with a private vendor to provide for the installation, operation and maintenance of a school bus monitoring system for enforcement purposes; or, for a municipality or school district that contracts with a school bus contractor, to require the installation, operation and maintenance of such a system.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
The Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee met on Thursday, Feb. 19 and approved the following bill relevant to boards of education:
Artificial Intelligence Surveillance Systems A-1323 would require a board of education of a school district and a board of trustees of a charter school or renaissance school project that utilizes a surveillance system, including a video surveillance system, x-ray machine, or body scanner, with artificial intelligence capabilities to adopt a policy regarding the use of the surveillance system. Under the bill, the policy, at a minimum, would be required to: (1) include information on the surveillance system installed by the district; (2) identify the type of information that would be collected through the surveillance system; (3) include information on how the board plans to utilize the information obtained through the surveillance system; (4) address the board’s plan to provide access to the information obtained through the surveillance system, in compliance with State and federal law governing student records and the provisions of the Uniform State Memorandum of Agreement Between Education and Law Enforcement Officials; and (5) require the board to post signage in a prominent, public place in buildings and on school grounds where the surveillance system may be used. Additionally, the board of education would be required to distribute the policy to the parents and guardians of students within the district.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee
The Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee met on Thursday, Feb. 19 and approved the following bill relevant to boards of education:
Excused Absences for Post-Secondary Activities S-2457 would permit excused absences for students participating in college visits, visits to post-secondary technical institutions, and military recruitment activities. The bill would require a student enrolled in grades 11 or 12 to be eligible for a cumulative total of three excused absences per school year for the purpose of college visits or visits to postsecondary technical institutions and a cumulative total of three excused absences per school year to complete a military recruitment-related activity. Such absences would not be included on a student’s transcript, application, employment form or any similar form requested. Such absences would also not be considered when determining if a student has a perfect attendance record for the school year. Under the bill, a military recruitment-related activity means any activity required by the Armed Forces of the United States for enlistment, including, but not limited to, testing, medical or physical evaluations, interviews, and fingerprinting. The bill would take effect in the first full school year following the date of enactment.
The NJSBA supports the bill and submitted written testimony highlighting an Association policy adopted at the December 2024 Delegate Assembly. That policy states the following: “The NJSBA believes the New Jersey Department of Education student attendance regulations should include a limited number of state-excused absences per school year for students who seek to participate in activities related to military enlistment that require absence from classroom instruction.” Since that time, the Delegate Assembly adopted an additional relevant policy at its May 2025 meeting: “The NJSBA believes students should be permitted a limited number of state-excused absences for participation in activities related to pursuing a skilled trade post-graduation.”
To view the full text of any of the bills summarized above, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
