Legislative committees began ramping up activity this week as they try to complete work on bills and finish the fiscal year 2026 state budget by the end of June. Please note that the legislative update below includes activity through the end of Monday, June 23. All activity occurring during the rest of the week will be included in the next edition of School Board Notes.
Assembly Appropriations Committee
The Assembly Appropriations Committee met on Thursday, June 19, and approved the following bills relevant to boards of education:
Expanding Early Child Education 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 available 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 the bill would also require NJDOE to develop a Mixed Delivery Model Preschool Handbook.
In addition, the bill would set a kindergarten enrollment birthday deadline of Oct. 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. If state resources are not made available 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, 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’s counterpart in the Senate, S-3910, was approved by the Senate Education Committee in May.
School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program A-5075 would establish 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 bill, a novice supervisor is 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 bill 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 bill would appropriate $500,000 to support the program.
The NJSBA supports the bill, which was previously approved by the Assembly Education Committee in March. Its counterpart in the Senate, S-3933, was approved by the Senate Education Committee in March.
School Audit Delay A-5847 would extend the deadline for the completion of a school district’s annual audit for the 2024-25 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 Jan. 1, and the deadline to submit certified copies of the audit and recommendations to the commissioner to Jan. 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 2022-23 and the 2023-24 school years.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill, which has not yet moved in the Senate.
Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee
The Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee met on Thursday, June 19, and approved the following bill relevant to boards of education:
Benefits During Military Leave S-3601 would make various changes to the laws concerning termination, compensation, and leaves of absence of certain active and retired members of the United States military, the reserves, and the National Guard who are public employees. The bill would entitle public employees to pay for days over existing leave allowances if that pay is provided in an applicable negotiations agreement and would permit public employees to use accrued paid leave during periods of military leave. The bill would also entitle public employees, during leaves of absence, to payment by the public employer – on behalf of the employee – of any contribution required of the employee to a retirement or health care plan, in addition to any contribution or payment required of the employer. Finally, the bill would entitle public employees to additional leave days dependent on the length and location of the employee’s military service.
The NJSBA expressed concerns about the bill in committee testimony. 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.
To view the full text of any of the bills summarized above, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
