Legislative Update: Governor Signs Fiscal Year 2024 State Budget, Sick Leave Expansion, Various Education Measures; Several Others Await Approval

In what was a series of last-minute votes even by Trenton’s budget standards, last Friday the Legislature passed the fiscal year 2024 budget, which Gov. Phil Murphy then signed into law. In addition to the budget, the governor signed – and the New Jersey Department of Education implemented – a one-year educator certification fee holiday, and the Senate and the Assembly approved various other PreK-12 education measures in their final voting sessions before summer recess. Additionally, the governor signed a measure, opposed by the New Jersey School Boards Association, that expands the permissible uses of employee sick leave provided under current law.

The following provides a rundown of any bills that have been signed into law, landed on the governor’s desk, or passed one house of the Legislature. NJSBA will continue to report on any action taken by the governor throughout the summer.

Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Highlights

The fiscal year 2024 Appropriations Act (A-5669/S-2024/P.L.2023, c.74) was approved by the Assembly and Senate Budget Committees June 28, then by the full Legislature and the governor June 30. With limited exceptions, the signed budget includes nearly all of the education programs the governor included in his proposed budget, funded at the same amounts. Notably, the budget maintains the following programs included in the governor’s proposed budget. Revisions by the Legislature to language or funding amount associated with these programs are noted in UPPERCASE BOLD ITALICS.

  • Commitment to Phasing in Full School Funding Reform Act Funding: Full scheduled phase-in to full funding per S2 (year six of seven), as well as $103 million in supplemental stabilization aid enacted in April that restored two-thirds of the initially proposed state aid reductions.
  • Stabilization Aid: $20 million to be used to ease the transition to SFRA funding amounts.
  • Preschool Expansion: $40 million to support new districts adopting high-quality preschool programs and to address “workforce preparation and training and other ancillary needs related to preschool expansion.”
    • ADDITION BY LEGISLATURE: The Legislature added additional language to the preschool education aid line item requiring each new PEA district (i.e. a districts receiving preschool education aid for the first time) in the 2023-2024 school year to “demonstrate … due diligence in establishing partnerships to provide its preschool program through a mixed-delivery system in all licensed child care providers and Head Start programs in its community or neighboring communities that are willing and able to meet all preschool program requirements.”
  • Teacher Recruitment and Retention: $20 million in new programs.
    • $10 million for stipends for student teachers.
      • Administered by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.
      • $3,000 for a student in an education preparation program that agrees to a full year of service as a student teacher.
    • $5 million to waive teacher certification fees for one year.
    • $2 million for Culture and Climate Innovation Grants.
      • Competitive grant to “develop innovations to provide mental health supports for staff and students, support … practices that improve morale through regular appreciation days, staff surveys, innovation hours, improvement of safety and climate of buildings for all in the education community, invest in facilities improvements to improve general working conditions.”
    • $1 million for “Public Media Campaign.”
      • “The Department will procure advertising and public relations services to contract with a full-service public relations agency to create a state-wide public awareness campaign regarding positive messaging surrounding the teaching profession as a life-long career.”
    • $1 million for paraprofessional training.
    • $800,000 for a teacher apprenticeship program.
    • $500,000 to expand the Teacher Leader Network.
  • Workforce Diversity Programs:
    • High Poverty School District Minority Teacher Recruitment Program ($750,000).
    • Men of Color Hope Achievers Program (“K-12 Education Workforce Diversity Programs” line item) ($550,000).
    • Heldrich Center for Workforce Development –Teacher Workforce Reporting ($350,000). (Implementing L.2021, c.394 workforce data collection requirements.)
  • Academic Programs:
    • Over $30 million in funds for Tutoring and Literacy Professional Development:
      • $27 million in federal funds for the NJDOE’s High Impact Tutoring program.
      • $2 million RAPID program.
      • $3 million in federal funds for RAPID-Plus.
    • $420 million for Extraordinary Special Education Aid (same as fiscal year 2023).
    • $5 million for Climate Change Education Grants to Schools.
    • $2 million for K-12 Computer Science Education Initiative.
    • $1 million for the expansion of AP and IB courses.
    • $500,000 for Innovation Dual Enrollment Pilot competitive grant program.
  • Mental Health and Culture/Climate Programs:
    • Maintains funding for current School Based Youth Services Program.
    • $43 million to launch New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S).
    • $3 million for a community schools pilot program.
    • $2.5 million to continue Clayton Model Pilot Program.
    • Maintains funding for School-Based Mental Health Training Grant Program ($500,000).
    • $500,000 to continue Restorative Justice in Education Program.
  • School Facilities
    • $75 million for capital maintenance and emergent needs in traditional districts (SDA and RODs).
    • $20 million for capital maintenance and emergent needs in charter schools
      • ADDITION BY LEGISLATURE: The governor’s fiscal year 2024 budget message proposed $5 million for capital maintenance and emergent needs in charter schools; the Legislature increased that funding amount to $20 million.
  • Other Agency Line Items
    • Agriculture: $20.6 million for Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act.
    • Community Affairs:
      • Local Efficiency Achievement Program: $7.5 million.
      • School Regionalization Efficiency Program: $5 million. 

OTHER ADDITIONS BY THE LEGISLATURE

In addition to the revisions described above, the Legislature also added increased or added funding for various PreK-12 education items. Overall, the Legislature increased funding to the NJDOE by approximately $90 million, or half a percent. The majority of that increase comes in the form of new line items dedicated to individual school districts to address various needs, such as capital improvements and student mental health programs. The full list of such programs can be seen on the score sheet.

Other additions included:

  • Additional Federal Funds for Learning Acceleration: The budget dedicates an additional $35 million in American Rescue Plan State Fiscal Recovery Funds to the NJDOE for learning acceleration. Budget language provides that those funds will be used “for grants to school districts, charter schools, and renaissance school projects to increase student instructional time and accelerate student learning interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic through before-school, after-school, and summer learning programs and the implementation of other high-quality, evidence-based interventions and programs identified by the Department of Education … pursuant to a competitive application process established by the Commissioner of Education that considers changes in State assessment results and the utilization by applicants of local educational agency subgrants from the [ARP] Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund …”
  • Other: Other programs added to the final budget bill include, but are not limited to:
    • Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant (L.2021, c.237): $1 million.
    • School Bus Safety Study (L.2019, c.24): $250,000.
    • AP African American Studies Course Expansion Grant: $300,000.

The full budget and summary documents can be found at the following links:

  • Fiscal year 2024 Appropriations Act: Full Text.
  • Score Sheet: summary of line-item amount changes compared to the fiscal year 2024 budget the governor proposed in February.
  • Language Changes: summary of language provision changes compared to the governor’s proposed fiscal year 2024 budget.
  • Governor’s press release announcing his signing of the budget.
  • Governor’s line item veto statement and message.

Bills Signed into Law

Bills Signed into Law

In addition to the state budget, the following measures were signed into law by the governor in recent days.

Sick Leave Expansion A-5060/S-3440: Expands the scope of school district employee sick leave.

This law expands the scope of allowable uses of sick leave for school district employees, such as to care for an ill family member. NJSBA opposed the bill throughout the legislative process, arguing that it legislatively mandates benefits that are currently, and should remain, subject to collective negotiations. Several other organizations joined the NJSBA in expressing serious concerns on the bill, including the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials and the Garden State Coalition of Schools. A joint statement issued by these organizations can be found here.

Under current law, all steadily employed school staff annually receive at least 10 days of sick leave. This leave may be used for personal illness or injury. A-5060/S-3440 drastically expands the permissible uses of this statutory paid sick leave. More specifically, the new law allows employees to use their sick leave for the following reasons:

  • Personal illness or injury. (Note: This is already permitted under existing law.)
  • Diagnosis, care, or treatment of, or recovery from, a mental or physical illness, injury or other adverse health condition, or for preventive medical care.
  • To aid or care for a family member during diagnosis, care, or treatment of, or recovery from, mental or physical illness, injury or other adverse health condition, or during preventive medical care for the family member.
  • Absence necessary due to the employee or family member being a victim of domestic or sexual violence, if the leave is to allow the employee or family member to obtain medical or other related services, or to prepare for or participate in related legal proceedings.
  • Death of a family member for up to seven days.
  • To attend a school-related conference, meeting, function, or other event for a child.
  • If the school or place of care of a child of the employee is closed by order of a public official or because of a state of emergency declared by the governor, due to an epidemic or other public health emergency.

In addition, the law makes it more difficult for a district to verify that an employee is using paid sick leave for a legitimate purpose. Under previous law, districts could (but were not required to) request supporting documentation after a first absence due to illness. This law now prohibits a district from requesting such documentation until an employee is absent for three consecutive days. The legislation also includes provisions concerning when a board may require advance notice of an absence and the types of reasonable documentation a board may require for the use of sick leave.

In testimony delivered to several committees, the NJSBA stressed that it does not necessarily oppose allowing school staff to receive paid leave to care for an ill family member, or for the other reasons set forth in the bill.  Rather, the NJSBA argued that these matters should be addressed at the bargaining table – as they have been for decades – and not dictated by law. In addition, many collective bargaining agreements already include provisions providing paid leave for the purposes listed in A-5060/S-3440. Disruption to education continuity and the potential financial impact associated with hiring more substitute teachers – already in short supply, which has driven up their costs – were additional concerns cited by the NJSBA.

In many ways, the law mirrors the New Jersey Earned Sick Law. Enacted in 2018, that law requires employers of all sizes to provide workers with up to 40 hours of paid sick time per year to care for themselves or a family member. NJSBA successfully advocated for an exemption for boards of education from that legislation. NJSBA used a similar argument on this bill – that school employees have long been afforded paid sick leave for personal use pursuant to statute, while boards of education and unions have mutually agreed to other forms of paid time off through the traditional collective bargaining process. This law disrupts the status quo that strikes an appropriate balance between the interests of boards of education and employees, as well as parents, students and taxpayers.

Last week, the legislation was added with little notice to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee agenda. Up to then, it had not had a single hearing in the Senate. Following committee approval, the bill was promptly posted for a final floor vote on Friday, June 30. In response to this development, the NJSBA issued an Action Alert calling upon members to contact their state senator and respectfully urge them to vote no when the bill came before them. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 28-6. The NJSBA greatly appreciates and thanks all members who responded to this alert and contacted their elected representatives in the Legislature.

Murphy signed the bill into law on Monday afternoon after having just received Senate committee and floor approval late last week. The NJSBA and other education had hoped to advocate for a conditional veto that would have made it more feasible from an educational, financial and operational standpoint. Monday’s action by the governor now makes that impossible.

Education Certification Fee Holiday  A-5590/S-3941 (P.L.2023, c.70): Waives certain certification and credentialing fees for teachers for one year. This law requires the State Board of Examiners to temporarily waive various teacher certification fees from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. The fiscal year 2024 budget signed into law dedicates $5 million to implement the fee holiday. During this time, aspiring educators will be exempt from paying the typical fees associated with educator certification services, including application fees, renewal fees and related costs. According to a press release issued by the governor following the bill’s approval, “this initiative aims to alleviate financial burden and streamline the certification process for aspiring educators across the state.” Read more here. NJSBA position: support.

Sustainable New Jersey Fund A-4167/S-2857 (P.L.2023, c.81): Establishes the “Sustainable New Jersey Fund” in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to support certain sustainability initiatives; appropriates $1 million. Under this program, the DEP will be required to annually distribute money in the fund to a public institution of higher education that has an existing contractual relationship with a qualified nonprofit organization that offers certifications and grants to municipalities and public schools across New Jersey in support of efforts to realize environmental, economic and social sustainability. The public institution of higher education will then be required to distribute the funds to the nonprofit to support the provision of such certifications and grants. The law goes into effect 30 days following the date of the governor’s approval, or July 30, 2023.
NJSBA position: support.

On the Governor’s Desk

The following bills received final legislative approval by the Legislature and were sent to the governor’s desk:

Access to Menstrual Products A-1349/S-1221: Establishes a program in the NJDOE to reimburse school districts for providing menstrual products in certain public schools and requires the state to pay costs.  Under the bill, school districts would be required to ensure that students in each school serving any of the grades 6-12 have direct access to menstrual products in at least half of female and gender-neutral school bathrooms (if applicable) free of charge. The state would be required to pay the cost of providing these products.
NJSBA position: support.

Expanding Medicaid-Funded Health Services A-3334/S-2416: Pending federal approval, this bill would require Medicaid reimbursement for covered behavioral health services provided by a local educational agency to a student who is an eligible Medicaid beneficiary. This bill authorizes school districts to newly claim as Medicaid expenses certain behavioral health services that school districts deliver to Medicaid-eligible students, as permitted under federal law. Read more here.
NJSBA position: support.

Educator Scholarship Program A-3681/S-2661: Establishes the New Jersey Educator Scholarship Program; appropriates $3 million. The program would award a 200 scholarships annually (50 for eligible recipients in each freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years of college) to college students who, within five years of graduating and completing an educator preparation program, accept full-time employment as a teacher in a New Jersey public school for at least three full school years.  Read more here. NJSBA position: support.

April Election Second Question Certification Deadline A-5175/S-3519/S-3593: This bill would make changes to various general election deadlines. A previous version of the bill would have moved up the deadline for boards of education that hold an election in April to certify second questions with the county clerk. Specifically, the previous version of the bill would have changed that deadline from 18 days before the April election to 60 days before the election.  The bill also requires that boards provide 74 days’ notice to the county clerk for any second question on the November ballot. Additionally, the bill requires that boards of education provide 60 days’ notice to the county clerk of any special election. NJSBA position: support, as amended.

Compostable Food Waste A-4548/S-3153: Authorizes schools to receive certain food waste from other schools, and provides exemption to such receiving schools from certain DEP permits, under certain conditions. The bill would authorize a school to deliver its compostable or anaerobically digestible food waste to another school in the state, provided that the receiving school accepts the food waste and composts or digests the food waste using an on-site composting or anaerobic digestion system. NJSBA position: support.

Electric School Bus Funding  A-4716/S-3044: Makes supplemental appropriation of $15 million to the DEP for implementation of the Electric School Bus Program. This bill would provide a supplemental fiscal year 2023 appropriation of $15 million to the DEP to support year one of the three-year program. That program was established by legislation, approved by the Legislature in June 2022, and later signed into law by Gov. Murphy. NJSBA position: support.

Extend Service Life of School Buses A-5329/S-3734: Extends the useful service life of certain school buses to 20 years; provides a temporary one-year extension of service life of Type S school buses. The bill would extend the service life of most school buses from 15 years to 20 years, while specifying that it does not “allow the use of any school bus for pupil transportation purposes if that school bus is determined to be unsafe or unfit for pupil transportation.” The bill also permits the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to extend the retirement date of a “Type S” school bus provided that passes an additional inspection that is consistent with the procedures of the enhanced safety inspection program. NJSBA position: support.

Exempting Certain School Districts from State Aid Cuts A-5575/S-3950: Establishes an exemption from state school aid reductions for certain school districts. This bill would exempt from state aid reductions under the School Funding Reform Act, as amended by S-2, districts that meet the following conditions:

  • Regional school district consisting of at least five constituent school districts.
  • The district has mitigated the cost of regionalization, as determined by the New Jersey Department of Education.
  • The district’s per-pupil administrative costs are 15% less than the statewide average for regional school districts.
  • The district’s general fund tax levy has been increased by the maximum amount permitted by law in each of the last five school years.

The bill further provides that if a district is exempt from a state aid reduction per these criteria, the district must provide courtesy busing if the district was providing courtesy busing in the previous school year. According to a fiscal estimate produced by the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services, currently Freehold Regional School District is the only school district that would qualify for the exemption.

NJSBA position: monitor. When the bill moved through committee, the NJSBA urged the Legislature to take a more holistic approach toward amending the SFRA moving forward, rather than doing it through piecemeal legislation such as this. Read more here.

Ticket Prices at Postseason Athletic Events S-2902/A-5568: Allows ticket prices at postseason athletic events to be increased to offset event-related expenses. This bill revises legislation enacted in 2007 related to ticket prices at postseason athletic events. Under the bill, a school district would not be permitted to join any voluntary association that oversees activities associated with statewide interscholastic sports programs if the association requires increased ticket prices for attendance at playoff games compared to regular season games, unless those increased ticket prices are required to offset event-related expenses including, but not limited to, rental, staffing, security, or insurance costs.  Read more here. NJSBA position: monitor.

Property Tax Relief S-1/A-1: Establishes Stay New Jersey property tax credit program; establishes Stay New Jersey Task Force; expands income limit and modifies ownership requirement for eligibility to receive homestead property tax reimbursement; enhances ANCHOR benefits for seniors; and makes appropriations.  The bill was amended to include language requiring that the Stay New Jersey program will not supersede, impact, or interfere with the funding necessary to satisfy the state constitutional requirement providing for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of free public schools. NJSBA position: monitor.

Passed Senate

In addition to the bills sent to the governor’s desk, both the Senate and Assembly also approved several education-related measures that still need the approval of the other house. The following bills have passed the full Senate. They head over to the General Assembly, where they have either not been considered yet or still await a floor vote:

Teacher Loan RedemptionS-3887: Revises NJCLASS Teacher Loan Redemption Program. The bill, which aimed at addressing the teacher shortage, would expand the NJCLASS Teacher Loan Redemption Program to include teachers from all subject areas with any kind of student loan. The program would be broken up into a three-tier system, in which all recipients would receive loan forgiveness for up to four years of service. The highest tier would provide up to $5,000 a year for teachers working in a high-need field in a low performing school. Tier two would provide up to $3,750 a year for those working in a high-need field, but not a low performing school. Tier three would include any teacher with student loans and provide up to $2,500 a year in loan forgiveness. NJSBA position: support.

Emergency Teacher Certification S-3814: Establishes emergency teacher endorsements in certain circumstances. The bill would establish an emergency instructional certificate for teachers and teacher candidates in high-need fields. The certificate would allow eligible certified teachers pursuing an endorsement in a high-need area to fill positions in that area while they are in the process of getting the endorsement. NJSBA position: support.

Energy Efficiency Improvement Loans S-419: Establishes Renewable and Efficient Energy Financing Program; authorizes BPU to transfer up to $20 million annually in societal benefits charge revenues to New Jersey Infrastructure Bank for the purposes of the program. The purpose of the REEF program is to provide loans and financial assistance to public entities, including school districts, to finance cost-effective energy efficiency improvements in public buildings. NJSBA position: support.

Community Schools Pilot Program S-2771: The bill would establish a five-year “Community Schools Pilot Program.”  A community school is defined as “a public school that participates in a community-based effort to coordinate and integrate educational, developmental, family, health and other comprehensive services through community-based organizations and public and private partnerships, providing access to these services to students, families, and the community year-round. The purpose of the pilot program would be to facilitate an establishment of a community that demonstrates a commitment to the four pillars of: integrated student supports; expanded learning time and opportunities; family and community engagement; and collaborative leadership and practice. The commissioner of education will identify an institution of higher education or a qualified nonprofit organization that has demonstrated a commitment to facilitating high-quality community schools in New Jersey to manage the pilot program. Under the program, any school district, renaissance school, or charter school would be able to receive training and ongoing support regarding the establishment and operation of a community school, and one public school in each county would be assigned a site coordinator to assist in the establishment and operations of a community school.

The bill’s Assembly counterpart, A-1168, has received committee approval but still awaits a floor vote.

NJSBA position: support.

Passed General Assembly

The following bills have passed the full General Assembly and head to the Senate for further consideration:

FAFSA Graduation Requirement  A-1181: Requires high school students to complete financial aid applications. The bill provides that, beginning with the 2022-2023 grade 11 class and for two years thereafter, the State Board of Education will require that the local graduation requirements adopted by a board of education or a board of trustees of a charter school include the requirement that a parent or student complete and submit a financial aid application in a form prescribed by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. A student shall be exempt from this requirement if the student or the student’s parent or guardian submits a waiver form to the school district or charter school. During committee deliberations, the NJSBA expressed concerns about the mandatory nature of the bill and making it a graduation requirement. NJSBA recommended that the financial aid requirement be optional. NJSBA position: oppose.

Eliminate High School Exit Exam A-4639: Eliminates high school graduation proficiency test. This bill would eliminate the high school graduation proficiency test, which is required under current law to be taken in the 11th grade. Specifically, the bill would prohibit the State Board of Education from requiring “as part of the standards from graduation from secondary school … that any secondary school pupil achieve a satisfactory performance on any Statewide proficiency test.” The bill would also allow adults an d out-of-school youth that have not previously been granted a diploma, but met all other high school graduation requirements, to apply for a state-endorsed diploma. NJSBA position: support.

Mentoring Teachers of Color A-3945: Establishes “Male Teachers of Color Mentorship Pilot Program;” appropriates $50,000. The bill would establish a three-year “Male Teachers of Color Mentorship Pilot Program.” Under the program, the New Jersey commissioner of education would select 10 male students of color from state public higher education institutions to work with 10 male teachers of color from participating schools. In that way, each student would be paired with a current teacher who would serve as the student’s mentor through the candidate’s last year of his educator preparation program and the first two years of the student’s teaching career. The teacher will receive a stipend of $5,000, funded by the state, for each year of participation in the program. NJSBA position: support.

Boosting Reading Levels A-4011: Directs the commissioner of education to establish a three-year pilot program to increase reading levels of certain students and appropriates $1 million. This bill directs the commissioner of education to establish a three-year pilot program that will provide general education students who are not reading at grade level by the end of the second grade in selected school districts with summer school instruction. NJSBA position: support.

School Audit Delay A-4033: Extends the deadline for completion of a school district’s annual audit. This bill would extend the deadlines for completing and filing a school district’s annual audit by two months. The current deadline for completion of the audit (five months following the end of the school year, or Nov. 30) would be extended to Jan. 31; the current deadline for filing of the audit with the NJDOE (five days after the audit is completed, or Dec. 5) would be extended to Feb. 5. The bill would also specify the deadline for districts to submit an audit summary to the NJDOE as Jan. 15. During Senate committee deliberations on its companion bill, S-2657, the NJSBA expressed concern that delaying audit submission could create challenges for districts in completing timely, fiscally responsible budgets by delaying the release of key budget information and resources that rely on audit data, such as the NJDOE’s budget software. NJSBA position: concerns.

Non-CDL Drivers for Small School Buses A-4835: Permits certain persons to operate Type S school buses. The bill, which is intended to alleviate the school bus driver shortage, would create a new “Type S School Bus Certificate” to be issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. The certificate would authorize a person to operate a Type S school bus to transport children to and from school without obtaining a commercial driver’s license, passenger endorsement, or school bus endorsement. A Type S bus is a school transportation vehicle that has a gross vehicle weight rating of 3,000 pounds or more, and which was originally designed by the manufacturer with a maximum seating capacity of nine passengers or less, excluding the driver. Read more here. NJSBA position: support.

Expanding Access to Free School Lunch A-5684: Requires certain nonpublic schools to provide meals to all students under the “Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act” and authorizes a limited expansion of income eligibility to qualify public and nonpublic school students for free lunch. This bill requires school districts participating in the National School Lunch Program to provide free lunch, during the 2024-2025 school year, to students who are federally eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch, as well as to students who are federally ineligible for free or reduced-price meals, but who have an annual household income less than 250% of the federal poverty level. Through the recent enactment of the “Working Class Families’ Anti-Hunger Act,” the state has provided for the expanded provision of free school lunches and breakfasts to students from certain middle-income families (i.e., those families having an annual household income of up to 199% of the federal poverty level). That law goes into effect in the 2023-2024 school year. A-5684 would make those expansions in eligibility for free lunch – to 200% and then to 250% of the federal poverty level – temporary and require the state to form a “Working Group on School Food Security” to, among other charges, develop best practices to promote the expanded provision of free school meals. NJSBA position: support.

Nonpublic School Transportation Consortiums  A-5412 Establishes a nonpublic school transportation program to provide funding to consortiums of nonpublic schools that will assume responsibility for mandated nonpublic school busing.  Under the program, nonpublic schools in one or more counties would be authorized to form a consortium to assume responsibilities from participating school districts to provide transportation to and from the nonpublic schools or aid-in-lieu. If a school district chooses to participate in the voluntary program, the district would disburse to the consortium an amount equal to the aid-in-lieu of transportation amount for each nonpublic school student for whom the school district would otherwise be required to provide transportation or aid-in-lieu. The bill’s Senate counterpart, S-3850, has received committee approval but has not been posted for a floor vote. NJSBA position: support.

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