Senate Education Committee

The Senate Education Committee met on Thursday, June 5, and approved the following bills:

Spring Break Recommendations S-341 would require the commissioner of education to annually recommend – but not require – the dates on which a school district would be permitted to close its schools for spring break. To assist school districts in the development of their school calendars, the commissioner would be required to inform districts of the recommended dates for spring break no later than June 30 of the prior school year.

The New Jersey School Boards Association is monitoring the bill.

School Meal Nutrition Standards S-2167 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. Its counterpart in the Assembly, A-1406, was approved by the Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee in May.

Supplemental Tutoring Registry S-2867/A-1997 would direct the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) to partner with a nonprofit organization to establish and maintain a central, searchable registry of individuals and organizations interested in offering free tutoring services to students throughout the state. The registry would contain the name, contact information, subject matter expertise, and a tutoring availability schedule of each registrant. The NJDOE would be required by the bill to make the registry publicly available to all New Jersey residents on its website. The bill lists groups of individuals and organizations who would be eligible to apply for inclusion on the registry and would require those applying to undergo a criminal history record check prior to inclusion, which may be reimbursable by the NJDOE. Finally, the bill would require the registry to include a disclaimer stating that the information provided on individuals and organizations listed on the registry has not been independently verified and is not meant to be an endorsement or recommendation by the department as to the quality of the tutoring services offered.

The NJSBA supports the bill which was passed by the Assembly in October 2024.

Nonpublic Auxiliary and Remedial Aid  S-4312/A-4854 would amend laws governing the allocation of state aid for auxiliary services and remedial services to nonpublic school students. It would require the commissioner of education to establish a process by which school districts are to be reimbursed for costs that are incurred to provide those services. The maximum per-service aid amounts established by the commissioner would be calculated by dividing the amount annually appropriated to provide services by the average number of documented services delivered in the prior three school years. The method by which the commissioner establishes the maximum per-service-aid amounts is required to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, the amounts annually appropriated for auxiliary services and remedial services are fully exhausted by the end of the school year. Finally, the bill would require the commissioner to conduct a survey, in the second full school year following the date of the bill’s enactment and every third school year thereafter, to collect information necessary to calculate the average and range of costs incurred to provide services. If enacted, the bill would go into effect for the 2025-26 school year.

The NJSBA is monitoring the bill, which was passed by the Assembly in May.

Key Boxes for School Security  S-4440 would require – by June 30, 2027 – each school district to provide for the installation of at least one exterior key box at each school building. The box would need to meet specific industry standards and would need to be installed at an appropriate location for permitting emergency access to the building for emergency responders, including law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services personnel. The box must contain keys and other access control devices as are necessary to access each building and room located on the entire school grounds and the most recently updated critical incident mapping data. The bill includes an appropriation of $2.5 million.

The NJSBA supports the bill, while seeking amendments that would encourage collaboration between emergency service providers concerning the use of key boxes, provide an exemption for schools that have already developed an appropriate and equivalent security plan, address the potential revision of industry standards, and provide for the ongoing reimbursement of costs to districts beyond a box’s initial installation.

Preschool Services Contracts S-4476 would exempt contracts for preschool education services provided by licensed childcare providers or Head Start programs that are  supported by preschool education aid from public advertising and bidding. The bill would also permit the contracts to be awarded by a resolution of boards 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.

CTE Teacher Certification Requirements S-4515 would prohibit the State Board of Education from requiring a candidate for a certificate of eligibility in a career and technical education endorsement to complete an educator preparation program which exceeds 200 hours of instruction, or one academic year. This would update the current certification process, which requires individuals to enroll in a two-year, 350-hour educator preparation program.

The NJSBA supports the bill, which is intended to address the shortage of qualified career and technical education teachers.

Concussion Management Teams SCR-128 would urge school districts to establish concussion management teams. As defined in the resolution, a concussion management team is a group of school-based professionals (which may include school physicians, school nurses, school psychologists, school social workers, athletic trainers, and school administrators) who work together to manage a student’s care after a concussion. The concussion management team ensures that a student can safely return to classroom and sports-related activity after a brain injury and collaborates with the student’s family and school staff to coordinate care and support throughout the recovery process.

The NJSBA supports the resolution.

To view the full text of any of the bills summarized above, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.