The Legislature wrapped up a busy month of June by passing a bevy of bills, many of which now head to the governor’s desk for signature and several of which were signed into law on the evening of Monday, June 30. In addition to the education-related bills outlined below, the Legislature also passed the FY2026 state budget, which the governor also signed into law on June 30. The final appropriations act mostly aligns with the governor’s proposed budget and is covered separately in this week’s School Board Notes. The Legislature will now head into an extended summer break with campaigning to begin for the Assembly’s 80 seats ahead of Election Day in November, which will also feature the race for governor, to replace outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy, who is term limited.
Signed Into Law
The Senate and Assembly each held voting sessions on Monday, June 30, and passed the education-related bills below which the governor then signed into law on the same day:
Public Notice Reform S-4654/A-5878 permanently updates the requirements for the publication of required legal notices. The law requires – beginning March 1, 2026 – a public entity to publish or advertise legal notices on its own website. The website will need to be accessible and available to the public free of charge, and a direct hyperlink to the legal notices will need to be placed on the website’s homepage. The law also requires the Secretary of State to establish its own webpage that includes hyperlinks to the legal notices webpage of each public entity and similarly requires the Secretary of State’s website homepage to include a hyperlink to the directory of legal notices. Each public entity will be required to submit, and update if necessary, the entity’s legal notices hyperlink to the Secretary of State. The law will require each public entity to provide an advertisement at least twice a month for each month in 2026 in an eligible online news publication that states that the complete text of each legal notice may be obtained or viewed by the public on the website of the public entity and provides the hyperlink to the Secretary of State’s directory.
The law provides that a public entity will be required – beginning July 1, 2026 – to maintain an archive of legal notices that are no longer displayed; those notices will need to be kept in the archive for at least one year. Public entities will be required to display legal notices for at least one week before transferring them to the archive.
Under the law, a corporation, individual, or any other non-public entity required to publish or advertise legal notices will have to do so on an online news publication that satisfies certain eligibility requirements as specified in the bill. A local government unit may, in addition to the publication on its own website, publish or advertise a legal notice on one of those eligible online news publications.
Finally, the law extends the provisions of two laws passed earlier in the legislative session (P.L.2024, c.106 and P.L.2025, c.22) that provided temporary relief from the requirement that all public notices be published in print newspapers. The more recent law provided that a newspaper eligible to be used by a public body in 2024 for the purpose of complying with the Open Public Meetings Act or other public notice or legal advertisement requirement, including for providing adequate notice of a meeting, and being designated as an official newspaper, is deemed eligible for the same purposes until June 30, 2025, regardless of the physical or digital format for the newspaper’s publication. This newly signed law extends that date to March 1, 2026.
The New Jersey School Boards Association supported the bill after previously advocating for local government bodies to have the ability to post public notices on their own websites.
Extending Pause on SGOs S-4375/A-5077 extends the statutory pause on the collection of student growth objective (SGO) data initiated by P.L.2024, c.14, and adds a pause on the collection of administrator goals data. That 2024 law established the New Jersey Educator Evaluation Review Task Force and ceased the collection of new data for SGO purposes during the current school year. The purpose of the new law is to extend the pause on the collection of SGO data and administrator goals data until the completion of possible revisions to the evaluation process in line with recommendations from the task force’s final report issued in September 2024. Under the law, the collection of SGO data and administrator goals data will be paused until the next expiration and subsequent readoption of current educator evaluation regulations (N.J.A.C.6A:10). Additionally, a teacher, principal, assistant principal, or vice-principal who is eligible to attain tenure on or before February 15 will not be required to set SGO or administrator goals for the year in which they are eligible to attain tenure; those eligible after February 15 will be required to do so.
The NJSBA supported the bill.
Filtered Drinking Water Stations S-4632/A-5812 requires the Commissioner of Education to establish a program to provide grants for the purchase and installation of filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets in public schools. Public schools that wish to apply for the program will be able to apply to the Department of Education for a grant in a form and manner to be determined by the commissioner. The law requires the commissioner to give priority to public schools that demonstrate significant water quality issues, as evidenced by test results, reports from the Department of Environmental Protection, or reliable data sources indicating elevated levels of lead and other contaminants in drinking water, as well as to public schools that have not already installed filtered bottle-filling stations or filtered faucets.
The NJSBA supported the bill.
School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program S-3933/A-5075 establishes a three-year School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program to strengthen the school leadership pipeline in schools throughout the state by supporting and developing novice supervisors through a one-year mentoring cycle. As defined in the law, “novice supervisor” means any appropriately certified individual assigned with the responsibility for the direction and guidance of the work of teaching staff members and who is in the first year of employment in a supervisor role. The law requires the Commissioner of Education to develop guidelines for the program and enter into a partnership with a nonprofit organization with expertise in providing professional learning and mentoring services to school leaders. The law appropriates $500,000 to support the program.
The NJSBA supported the bill.
On the Governor’s Desk
The Senate and Assembly each held voting sessions on Monday, June 30. The bills listed below have now been passed by both houses but are still awaiting signature by the governor:
Pension Boost for Extracurriculars A-3323/S-3713 would require pay for extracurricular activities to be included in compensation for a teacher’s pension (i.e., TPAF) purposes. Such extra pay is not included in the current pension compensation definition. Under the bill, extracurricular duties include preparation for and involvement in public performances, contests, athletic competitions, demonstrations, displays and club activities.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill, which was passed by the Senate on June 30 and by the Assembly in June 2024. It now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.
School Counselor Certification S-1784/A-3424 would establish several requirements related to school counselor certification and employment. The bill defines the role of a school counselor as someone who recognizes and responds to the need for mental health services that promote social and emotional wellness and development for all students and is tasked with designing and delivering a comprehensive program for school counseling that promotes the achievement of students. The bill would require:
- Each school counselor employed by a district to provide certain school counseling services including, but not limited to, specific services enumerated in the legislation.
- School counselors to complete professional development in relevant areas, such as the promotion of mental health awareness and trauma-informed counseling.
- School counseling certification programs at institutions of higher education to incorporate the American School Counselor Association’s national model for comprehensive school counseling programs or a state-approved model.
- The Commissioner of Education to appoint a state school counselor liaison to work with school districts to facilitate best practices and serve as a resource expert for school counselors.
The NJSBA supports the bill, which was passed by the Senate on June 30 and by the Assembly in May. It now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.
Mental Health Resources on ID Cards S-3769/A-4897 would revise current statute to require public schools and higher education institutions that issue student identification cards to print the telephone number for mental health and suicide crisis resources as determined by the Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education. As amended, the bill specifies that its provisions would apply to new and replacement cards issued in the first full school year following the bill’s enactment.
The NJSBA supports the bill, which was passed by the Senate on June 30 and by the Assembly in December 2024. It now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.
School Audit Delay S-4608/A-5847 would extend the deadline for the completion of a school district’s annual audit for the 2024-2025 school year. Under current law, the board of education of every school district is required to complete an annual audit no later than five months after the end of the school year. The school district’s accountant is required to file a report of the annual audit with the board of education, and within five days thereafter, the Commissioner of Education. This bill would extend the audit completion deadline to January 10, the audit summary completion deadline to January 1, and the deadline to submit certified copies of the audit and recommendations to the commissioner to January 15. The provisions of P.L.2023, c.305 similarly extended the deadline for the completion of a school district’s annual audit for the 2022-2023 and the 2023-2024 school years.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill, which was passed by both the Senate and Assembly on June 30. It now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.
TPAF Reenrollment Changes A-1675/S-2078 would extend the length of time a member of the teachers’ pension system (Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund, or TPAF) could discontinue their service and still maintain their membership in the system. Under current law, membership in the TPAF ceases if an individual discontinues service for more than two years. This bill would extend the period of discontinuation to 10 years. The bill would also extend the length of time a member who left service for certain qualifying reasons (e.g., due to a reduction in force) may return to service and includes among the qualifying reasons those who voluntarily left service with 10 or more years of service credit. Under current law, membership in the TPAF may continue if such a member returns to service within a period of 10 years from the date of discontinuation from service. This bill would extend the period of discontinuation to 15 years. Members who return to service under the terms of this bill would be placed in the member’s pension tier at the time of their original termination of service.
The legislation would have no direct impact on school district finances, as the state pays the employer share of TPAF costs on behalf of boards of education. The bill also explicitly states that there will be no additional contributions imposed on the re-enrolled member or the member’s employer.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill. It was originally passed by the Assembly in June 2024 but was amended before passage by the Senate in March. It received a concurrence vote by the Assembly on June 30. It now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.
IEP Meeting Guidelines & Working Group A-5492/S-3982 would require certain information to be provided to a parent at least two business days prior to an annual individualized education program team meeting and would establish a working group within the NJDOE. Under the bill, at least two days prior to an IEP meeting, a school must provide a student’s parent or guardian with a written statement of items to be discussed at the meeting, including 1) the student’s current levels of academic and functional performance; 2) a list of the names of any required IEP team members who are seeking to be excused from participation in the IEP team meeting accompanied by their input into programs and services for which they are responsible and 3) an invitation for the parent or guardian to provide input and feedback on proposed services and programs. The bill would also establish an IEP Improvement Working Group to provide recommendations to the NJDOE regarding methods to improve the development and implementation of IEPs and to ensure parental involvement in the process. The working group would include two school board members.
The NJSBA supports the bill. It was originally passed by the Senate in March but was amended before passage by the Assembly on June 30. It also received a concurrence vote by the Senate on June 30. It now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.
Chronic Absenteeism Task Force A-5779/S-3776 would establish a task force to study the causes of chronic absenteeism and develop recommendations for lowering absenteeism rates. The 20-member group would include one member upon the recommendation of NJSBA and would be required to issue a final report to the governor within six months following its organization.
The NJSBA supports the bill. It was originally passed by the Senate earlier in June but was amended before passage by the Assembly on June 30. It also received a concurrence vote by the Senate on June 30. It now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.
Latino and Hispanic American History Instruction A-3871/S-2335/S-3096 would require the State Board of Education to adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Social Studies on Latino and Hispanic American history at its next scheduled update of those content area standards. A board of education must include this instruction – which is to be historically accurate, culturally relevant, community-based, contemporary and developmentally appropriate – in an appropriate place in the curriculum of students in grades K-12. The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commission on Latino and Hispanic Heritage, would be required to provide school districts with sample learning activities and resources to support the implementation of these standards.
The NJSBA supports the bill, which was passed by the Senate in October 2024 and by the Assembly on June 30. It now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.
Expanding Early Child Education S-3910/A-5717, or the “New Jersey Universal Preschool and Kindergarten Act,” would make various updates to preschool funding and set new kindergarten requirements. The bill would effectively codify into statute the state’s existing preschool expansion aid program, while also ensuring all elementary school districts offer free, full-day kindergarten to all five-year old students.
Under the bill, a school district first receiving preschool education aid in one of the next three school years and participating in a pilot program established by the commissioner would be allowed to exceed its local tax levy cap by an increase amounting to the local share of preschool education costs. If a district is already providing full-day preschool for three- and four-year olds, the bill would allow that district to use state-provided preschool education aid for additional purposes designated by the commissioner. The bill would require districts receiving preschool education aid to obtain commissioner approval prior to implementing any significant redistribution of state-funded preschool seats among district-operated programs, licensed childcare providers, and Head Start programs. The bill also lays out application requirements for NJDOE preschool expansion grants, which would be made eligible to districts that meet certain criteria, including already providing full-day kindergarten. The bill also sets several requirements for districts receiving preschool education aid, including demonstrating due diligence to implement “mixed delivery” preschool programs (i.e. partnering with licensed childcare providers and Head Starts) and participating in a system of self-assessment. However, as amended, the bill would allow districts to demonstrate that extenuating circumstances would limit accessibility to or feasibility of partnership with mixed delivery partners. Finally, the bill would establish a Universal Preschool Implementation Steering Committee – with subcommittees to solicit input from local practitioners – within NJDOE and would require NJDOE to develop a Mixed Delivery Model Preschool Handbook.
The bill would also set a kindergarten enrollment birthday deadline of October 1 of that school year and would require districts to provide free full-day kindergarten (or enter into a send-receive relationship for full-day kindergarten) by the beginning of the 2029-30 school year.
In previous committee testimony, the NJSBA expressed its overall support for the bill’s goal to achieve universal preschool, while avoiding a statewide mandate, as the introduced version of the bill would have imposed. The NJSBA supported the codification of the preschool aid into law as well as the tax cap relief it would grant to districts to help them pay for preschool expansion.
The NJSBA also expressed some concerns about the bill, namely the potential unfunded mandate for free, full-day kindergarten. Absent state resources to support this mandate, the NJSBA argued that districts should maintain the authority to offer half-day programs and to charge tuition when necessary, as is currently the case in some districts, in order to avoid the diversion of resources from other critical programs and services. The NJSBA also urged the legislature to remain committed to fully funding the school funding formula while the Legislature continues to increase investment in preschool.
The bill was passed by both the Senate and the Assembly on June 30. It now heads to the governor’s desk for signature. Relatedly, the Legislature passed A-5908/S-4695 on June 30, which is now also awaiting the governor’s signature. That bill would amend the FY2026 Appropriations Act to align language in the budget with S-3910/A-5717.
Preschool Services Contracts S-4476/A-5780 would exempt contracts for preschool education services provided by a licensed childcare provider or Head Start program and supported by preschool education aid from public advertising and bidding and would permit the contracts to be awarded by a resolution of the board of education. The bill would also extend the maximum allowable length of such contracts from two years to three years.
The NJSBA supports the bill, which was passed by both the Senate and the Assembly on June 30. It now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.
School Meal Nutrition Standards S-2167/A-1406 would require all schools in New Jersey to comply with previous nutrition standards for the National School Lunch Program and federal School Breakfast Program adopted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The bill stipulates that schools would be required to comply with more stringent nutrition standards that may be adopted in the future. As amended, the bill: 1) would apply to both public and nonpublic schools; 2) specifically references federal nutrition standards adopted in 2012, 2016, and 2024; and 3) would apply to “competitive foods” sold at schools in addition to meals served through the USDA’s school meal programs.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill, which was passed by both the Senate and the Assembly on June 30. It now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.
Labor Movement Instruction S-1054/A-1682 would require boards of education to include instruction on United States and New Jersey labor history and the contributions of the labor movement. This instruction would be provided in an appropriate place in the curriculum for students in grades six through 12 as part of a district’s implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in social studies. Specifically, the instruction must include, at a minimum, the history of organized labor; notable strikes throughout history; unionization drives; and the collective bargaining process and existing legal protections in the workplace.
The NJSBA expressed concerns with the bill during previous committee deliberations. The bill was passed by the Assembly in January before being amended and passed by the Senate on June 30. It then received a concurrence vote by the Assembly on June 30. It now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.
Passed by the Senate Only
The Senate held a voting session on Monday, June 30. The following bills were passed by the Senate, but have not yet been passed by the Assembly:
SFRA Reform S-3917 would add certain requirements for the issuance of the Educational Adequacy Report, would set new parameters for the distribution of extraordinary special education aid, and would establish a task force to review special education funding. A previous version of the bill would have made changes to the local tax levy cap, established a new category of aid called “reduction adjustment aid,” and provided for vocational expansion stabilization aid, but as amended, the bill no longer includes those provisions.
The bill addresses the Educational Adequacy Report and seeks to enhance transparency surrounding state school funding. It would require the NJDOE to make available on the department’s website the calculation of aid payable to each school district in the succeeding year in a user-friendly manner, including explanations of the variables used to determine the district’s aid. It would also allow the Commissioner of Education to initiate a review of certain elements of the funding formula, including the metrics for adjusting costs in intervening years. A draft of the EAR would need to be made available for public comment for at least 30 days, during which time members of the public may provide feedback. Additionally, during the development of the next EAR, the commissioner shall engage a diverse group of stakeholders to review and make recommendations concerning: the calculation of a district’s local share and whether the metrics used are best able to estimate a district’s potential adjusted tax levy; the impact and feasibility of using multi-year averages in the calculation of local share; the abilities of the NJDOE and school districts to predict and anticipate state school aid amounts from year to year; and possible methods of improving upon the existing preschool funding methodology.
The bill provides for a gradual increase of state aid for extraordinary special education. Under the amended bill, the state would be required to either increase its total appropriation for extraordinary special education from one fiscal year to the next or would be required to increase the percentage of reimbursed costs for each district from one fiscal year to the next. The bill also extends the municipal overburden protections under “S-2” that prevent high-tax, low-income school districts from receiving reductions in state aid.
Finally, the bill would establish a Special Education Funding Review Task Force. The purpose of the task force would be to assess the effectiveness of state aid provided to support special education costs, examine the possibility of a tier-based model for special education funding, make recommendations regarding the implementation of a tier-based funding model, and provide recommendations for responses to changes in revenues for special education purposes, including federal revenues. The NJSBA would have one representative on the 11-member group.
In previous committee testimony, the NJSBA expressed its overall support for various provisions of the bill while offering suggestions for improvement and sharing concerns over several provisions that were removed from the amended version of the bill. The Association expressed support for the creation of the Special Education Funding Review Task Force and its appreciation for having the opportunity to share its expertise as one of the members of the task force but reiterated the struggles many districts face under the existing 2% tax levy cap and stressed the crucial need for cap flexibility to allow districts to reach their local fair share.
The bill has not yet moved in the Assembly.
Safe Transportation for Students with Disabilities S-3858 would require school bus personnel members to call 911 in potential life-threatening emergencies and would require school buses transporting students with disabilities with specialized transportation requirements to be equipped with certain safety features. Under the bill, a school bus personnel member would be required to report a 911 call to the Office of Special Education in the NJDOE, and a board of education or a school bus contractor providing pupil transportation services under contract would need to maintain a record of such calls. Boards of education and school bus contractors would be required to ensure that certain training related to school bus safety and interacting with students with disabilities are provided to relevant school bus personnel members twice per calendar year. Current law already requires drivers and school bus aides to complete a training program on interacting with students with disabilities. This bill expands that law to include any other individual who works, and is otherwise responsible for the safety of students, on a school bus transporting students with disabilities.
The bill also requires a school bus that transports one or more students with disabilities with specialized transportation requirements to be equipped with: 1) a video camera on the interior of the school bus to monitor student safety while the students are being transported; 2) a global positioning system that provides information about the location and speed of each school bus in real time; and 3) two-way communications equipment, which may include a cellular telephone. As amended, the bill would permit districts to apply to the Motor Vehicle Commission for grants to purchase and install the required equipment.
In previous committee testimony, the NJSBA expressed its support for the provisions of the bill that would ensure all school bus personnel are properly trained to interact with students with disabilities and respond to emergency situations, but expressed concerns about the potentially high costs districts would incur in order to install new equipment. As amended, the bill now provides state funding to cover those costs.
The bill has not yet moved in the Assembly.
Passed by the Assembly Only
The Assembly held a voting session on Monday, June 30. The following bill was passed by the Assembly, but has not yet been passed by the Senate:
“Farm to School” Grant Program A-3742 would, as amended, establish a $4.5 million grant program in the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to reimburse school districts for the costs of expanding local food procurement activities. The program would provide reimbursements to school districts to allow them to implement local food procurement practices to increase the types or amounts of local foods being procured for students, the meal periods during which such local foods are served to students, or the total number or type of students being offered such local foods, during either the school year or the summer months, or both. School districts would be eligible to receive program funding based upon submission of an attestation form.
The NJSBA supports the bill. Its counterpart in the Senate, S-1637, was approved by the Senate Economic Growth Committee in December 2024.
To view the full text of any of the bills summarized above, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
