Legislation signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in August 2019 (P.L. 2019, c.256) and amended in November 2022 (P.L. 2022, c.119) established a grant program that remunerates public school teachers to teach science, technology, engineering and math classes in nonpublic schools during hours during which the teacher has no conflicting public school duties. According to an advisory from the New Jersey Department of Education, eligible teachers must meet one of the following criteria:
- Hold certification to teach STEM.
- Currently enrolled in a STEM certification program.
- Provide a written commitment to pursue a STEM program within two years.
- Currently teach STEM and will teach a subject and grade level in the nonpublic school for which the teacher holds appropriate certification, including certification without a specific subject matter endorsement where permitted pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:26-1 et seq.
The grant program is designed to incentivize teachers to obtain the necessary qualifications to teach STEM subjects, incentivize individuals to enter the teaching profession to fill the demand for qualified educators in STEM subjects, help address the difficulties public and nonpublic schools face in attracting qualified educators in the STEM fields and improve statewide access to education in the STEM fields to address the workforce demands of New Jersey’s economy.
Teachers employed by districts should have already been notified about the program. Public school administrators should have shared this TeachSTEM survey link for interested teachers to submit contact information.
Additional key steps that must be taken are listed below:
- Teachers interested in participating in the program must submit contact information via the survey by Jan. 15, 2024.
- Nonpublic schools that wish to participate in the grant program can request the list of interested teachers by emailing NonpublicSTEMGrant@doe.nj.gov or contacting the respective County Office of Education after Jan. 15, 2024. Nonpublic schools will contact teachers on the lists directly to pursue possible teaching arrangements.
- Nonpublic schools that wish to participate in the grant program must submit a completed application by March 18, 2024. The grant application will be available by mid-December on the Nonpublic School Services website.
- Grant recipients are expected to be announced in June 2024 for teaching to begin in the 2024-2025 school year. Remuneration will be based on a teacher’s annual district salary as calculated on a per-hour basis multiplied by the number of hours of instruction provided at the nonpublic school multiplied by 25.
Questions can be directed to the New Jersey Department of Education via email.