As legislative activity begins to gear back up at the State House, the Senate held a voting session and several committees, including the Senate Education Committee, met to consider education-related legislation. In addition to normal activity, the Legislature continues to work on the FY2027 budget, facing a June 30 deadline to pass an appropriations bill for the governor’s signature.
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 recordings of committee meetings and the most up-to-date information regarding specific legislation, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
On the Governor’s Desk
Following a Senate voting session on Thursday, May 28, the following education-related bill now awaits Gov. Sherrill’s signature:
Link to Subsidized School Meals Application A-3882/S-3426 would require public schools to post links to the subsidized school meals application and an informational video produced by the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate regarding the 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, which was passed by the Assembly on March 23.
Senate Voting Session
The Senate held a voting session on Thursday, May 28, and in addition to the bill above, passed the following education-related legislation:
Guidance on Accommodations for Fasting Students S-1340 would, as amended, require the commissioner of education, in consultation with the commissioner of health, to develop and distribute guidance to public schools concerning accommodations for students who are fasting for religious or medical reasons. The bill would require the guidance to include recommendations on scheduling considerations, flexibility, differentiated instruction, and alternative educational activities for physical education classes, athletic participation, examinations, and other school activities; model policies concerning matters related to student fasting; methods by which school districts may address graduation credit and course participation requirements; communication with parents or guardians; and professional development resources and best practices.
The NJSBA supports the bill as amended.
Seniority Service Credit for Educational Support Professionals S-2962 would allow every educational support professional who has served in the active military of the United States and is declared by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to be eligible for federal veterans’ benefits, to receive equivalent years of employment or seniority credit, up to four years, for that service as if the professional had been employed for the same period of time at the school district. Any military service would be credited towards this employment or seniority credit, including service that occurred before the professional’s employment as an educational support professional. Current law provides that a teaching staff member may receive up to four years of credit, in computing length of service for seniority purposes, for military service. This bill would provide a similar benefit to educational support professionals.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill. Its counterpart in the Assembly, A-2746, was approved by the Assembly Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Thursday, May 7.
Therapy Dog Pilot Program S-3453 would establish a three-year pilot program to assess the academic and health benefits of using therapy dogs in public elementary school wellness programs. Under the bill, a school district seeking to participate in the pilot program would be required to apply to the commissioner of education. The commissioner would select two districts from each of the state’s southern, central, and northern regions to participate, seeking a cross-section of urban, suburban, and rural districts. The commissioner would provide pilot districts with guidance regarding the use of therapy dogs in schools. Within three years, the commissioner would submit a report evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program in improving the academic performance and health outcomes of students in elementary schools.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
Senate Education Committee
The Senate Education Committee met on Monday, June 1 and – unless otherwise noted – approved the following bills relevant to boards of education:
Spring Break Recommendations S-170 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 NJSBA is monitoring the bill.
Nonpublic Discipline Records S-1819 would require a nonpublic school to forward to a school district the student disciplinary records of a nonpublic school student who transfers to the school district within 14 calendar days of the district’s request. The nonpublic school would also be required to notify the school district of any information the nonpublic school may have received from a court or a law enforcement or prosecuting agency regarding any offense with which the student may have been charged. This proposed procedure would be similar to the one required when a student transfers from one public school to another.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
Voting Instruction S-2912 would require the State Board of Education to adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) in Social Studies pertaining to voting and ensure that instruction on voting is incorporated in an appropriate place in the curriculum of students in grade 12. The instruction must provide students with information on the importance of voting, voter registration, and how to vote. The requirement would first be applicable in the first full school year following enactment.
The NJSBA testified on the bill. The Association is seeking an amendment that would allow the State Board to complete its NJSLS review process before requiring districts to incorporate voting instruction into the curriculum. As currently worded, the bill would require districts to include this instruction in the next school year, prior to the NJSLS being updated.
Revised FAFSA Graduation Requirement S-3245 would make permanent the requirement that students complete a financial aid application as a prerequisite for receiving a high school diploma, unless a waiver is submitted. P.L.2023, c.295 previously created a three-year pilot program requiring the grade 11 classes in 2023-2024, 2024-2025, and 2025-2026 to complete the application and required the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) to issue a report detailing the requirement.
The NJSBA testified in opposition to the bill, encouraging the Legislature to wait for the release of the HESAA report due by Jan. 2027 before making the graduation requirement permanent.
Consequences for Bias-Related Conduct S-3715 would require a student determined by a school district to have committed any bias incident on school property, at any school-sponsored function, or on a school bus to meet with the district’s mental health care professional once a week for a minimum of nine months. The bill would require each school district to employ at least one mental health care professional with expertise in student counseling and training in implicit bias, racial equity, or cultural competence or humility to provide these services. It would also require a school district to place a student in an alternative education program if: 1) a student’s parent or guardian refuses to consent to student participation in the meetings with the mental health care professional, or 2) a student is reported for engaging in a subsequent bias incident following completion of the meetings with the mental health care professional. Finally, the bill would require each district to develop and implement a Racial and Bias Intervention Plan and report all bias incidents to the Department of Education within 72 hours of the report of the incident.
The NJSBA testified in opposition to the bill, citing the unfunded requirement to hire mental health care professionals, who are in short supply; the lack of alternative education programs in New Jersey; and the processes already in place to deal with bias-related incidents.
Nonpublic School Nursing Services Pilot Program S-4260 would require the commissioner of education to establish, supervise, and fund a three-year non-public school nursing services pilot program in an eligible county through a county consortium. It would require NJDOE to disburse directly to the county consortium an amount equal to the nonpublic nursing services aid that would otherwise be paid to a school district for nursing services provided to students enrolled at a nonpublic school that is part of the county consortium.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill, which was passed by the Legislature in the 2024-2025 legislative session but was pocket vetoed by Gov. Murphy.
Unexpended Aid for Nonpublic Programs S-4366 would allow unexpended state aid for either the nonpublic school nursing services aid program or the nonpublic school security aid program to be used to support the services provided under the other program. Under current law, in the event that the expenditures incurred by a school district are less than the state aid received to support required nursing or security services provided to nonpublic schools, the district is required to refund the unexpended aid after the completion of the school year.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill.
Additional Aid for Highlands and Pinelands Districts S-4118 was heard for “Discussion Only” and therefore did not receive a committee vote. It will need to return to the committee for a vote in order to move forward. The bill would provide additional state school aid to certain school districts located in municipalities that are part of the Highlands or Pinelands preservation areas. Previous preservation legislation limited development in municipalities in these areas, therefore restricting how much local revenue school districts can raise. To qualify for additional aid under the bill, districts must: 1) have experienced a net loss of state aid under “S-2”; 2) have a resident student enrollment of at least 500 students; and 3) be wholly located in a municipality in which at least 25 percent of the municipality’s acreage is within one of the two preservation areas. Additional aid would be calculated based upon the number of enrolled students in the district and the number of acres in the municipality within a preservation area.
The NJSBA testified on the “discussion only” bill. While appreciative of the bill’s intent to provide additional state aid to districts that are restricted in the amount of local revenue they can raise, the Association urged the Legislature to consider the entire school funding formula and all districts statewide that are currently underfunded.
Prohibiting Aid Reductions for Certain Districts S-4330 was heard for “Discussion Only” and therefore did not receive a committee vote. It will need to return to the committee for a vote in order to move forward. The bill would prohibit reductions in state school aid in the 2026-2027 school year for a school district if: 1) the district is spending below adequacy; 2) the district’s maximum tax levy increase authority in the 2026-2027 school year is less than the difference between the district’s local share in the 2026-2027 school year and the district’s general fund tax levy in the 2025-2026 school year; and 3) the district’s total spending per pupil is less than 85 percent of the statewide total spending per pupil.
The NJSBA testified on the “discussion only” bill. While appreciative of the bill’s intent to provide additional state aid to districts that are spending efficiently and are not able to reach their local share through local tax revenue, the Association urged the Legislature to consider the entire school funding formula and all districts statewide that are currently underfunded.
Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee
The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee met on Monday, June 1 and approved the following bill relevant to boards of education:
Public Participation at Board Meetings S-4116 would require public participation to be allowed at meetings of boards of county commissioners. As introduced, the bill would have updated public participation requirements for board of education meetings, but those changes were removed from the bill.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill.
To view the full text of any of the bills summarized above, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
