Board Governance and Elections
S-4136/A-5343 | Support
Summary Authorizes public bodies to continue using newspapers for required public notices and legal advertisements until certain specified date regardless of format; requires submission of certain subscription data.
Sponsors Sen. Sarlo (D36), Sen. Bucco (R25) / Asm. Atkins (D20), Asw. McCann Stamato (D31)
Status Signed by the governor on Feb. 28, 2025 (P.L.2025, c.22). Effective immediately.
Notes This law extends to June 30 the provisions of a previous law, signed in Dec. 2024, which was set to expire on March 1, 2025. The NJSBA has joined the New Jersey State League of Municipalities and the New Jersey Association of Counties to collectively advocate for a permanent solution that would permit local governing bodies to post public notices on their own government websites to comply with the Open Public Meetings Act or any other legal notice requirements.
A-5117/S-3994 | Monitoring
Summary Modifies the number of signatures required for candidates to be placed on primary, general, nonpartisan municipal, and school election ballots; requires the secretary of state to publish certain nominating petition forms by Jan. 1 of each year.
Sponsors Asm. Greenwald (D6) / Sen. Beach (D6), Sen. Sarlo (D36)
Status Signed by the governor on Feb. 3, 2025 (P.L.2025, c.20). Effective immediately and retroactive to Jan. 1, 2025.
Curriculum and Instruction
A-1682/S-1054 | Express Concerns
Summary Requires State Board of Education to adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards pertaining to labor movement; requires school districts to provide instruction on labor movement.
Sponsors Asm. Atkins (D20), Asw. Carter (D22), Asm. Sampson (D31) / Sen. Greenstein (D14), Sen. Gopal (D11)
Status Passed in Assembly 64-3-5; approved by Senate Education Committee.
S-1783/S-2712/A-3865 | Express Concerns
Summary Requires instruction on cursive handwriting in public school curriculum for grades three through five.
Sponsors Sen. McKnight (D31), Sen. Turner (D15) / Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15), Asw. Speight (D29), Asw. Bagolie (D27)
Status Approved by Assembly Education Committee; approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Notes The NJSBA’s committee testimony was featured on nj.com on March 22, 2025.
S-1659 | Express Concerns & Seeking Amendments
Summary Requires school districts to incorporate age-appropriate instruction on menstrual toxic shock syndrome and requires installation of signage in certain women’s rooms to enhance public awareness of menstrual toxic shock syndrome.
Sponsors Sen. O’Scanlon (R13), Sen. Corrado (R40)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
S-3666 | Monitoring
Summary Requires school districts to provide instruction on risks of compulsive gambling as part of implementation of New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.
Sponsors Sen. Beach (D6), Sen. Turner (D15)
Status Approved by Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee.
S-3222 | Support & Seeking Amendments
Summary Requires instruction on cybersecurity in grades nine through 12; requires Office of Secretary of Higher Education to develop cybersecurity model curricula; establishes loan redemption programs for individuals in certain cybersecurity occupations.
Sponsors Sen. Greenstein (D14), Sen. Mukherji (D32)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
S-3457 | Support
Summary Establishes “New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission” to review before-school, after-school, and summer programs.
Sponsors Sen. McKnight (D31), Sen. Ruiz (D29)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
School Funding
S-3917 | Support
Summary Makes various changes to school funding law and Educational Adequacy Report; establishes Special Education Funding Review Task Force.
Sponsor Sen. Gopal (D11)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Notes The NJSBA’s committee testimony was featured in New Jersey Monitor and NJ Spotlight News on Jan. 31, 2025.
A-5038 | Support
Summary Requires Commissioner of Education and Local Finance Board approval for certain board of education leases exceeding 20 years; authorizes boards to enter into 20-year lease purchase agreements for improvements or additions to school buildings.
Sponsors Asm. Karabinchak (D18), Asw. Bagolie (D27), Asm. Atkins (D20)
Status Approved by Assembly State and Local Government Committee and Assembly Education Committee.
S-3118 | Monitoring
Summary Provides that regional school districts are not subject to State school aid reductions under certain circumstances.
Sponsors Sen. Cruz-Perez (D5), Sen. Burzichelli (D3)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee.
S-1778 | Support
Summary Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns to State aid for public schools.
Sponsor Sen. McKnight (D31)
Status Posted for “Discussion Only” by Senate Education Committee.
S-3141 | Monitoring
Summary Establishes Public Education Innovation Fund; provides corporation business tax and gross income tax credits to businesses for making qualified education donations.
Sponsors Sen. Singleton (D7), Sen. McKnight (D31)
Status Posted “For Discussion Only” by Senate Education Committee.
School Security
S-3313 | Monitoring
Summary Requires certain procedures and training for municipalities, counties, and school districts in response to cybersecurity incidents.
Sponsor Sen. Corrado (R40)
Status Approved by Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Special Education
S-3982 | Support
Summary Requires certain information be provided to parent at least two business days prior to annual Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meeting; establishes IEP Improvement Working Group in DOE.
Sponsor Sen. Ruiz (D29)
Status Passed in Senate 39-0.
Staffing and Labor Issues
SJR-76/AJR-101 | Support
Summary Designates the second Friday of December of each year as “Paraprofessional and School-Related Personnel (PSRPs) in Our Schools Day” to recognize the contributions of paraprofessionals and school-related personnel.
Sponsors Sen. Ruiz (D29), Sen. Turner (D15) / Asw. Lampitt (D6), Asw. Matsikoudis (R21), Asm. Rodriguez (D33)
Status Signed by the governor on Jan. 30, 2025 (P.L.2025, JR-1). Effective immediately.
A-1675/S-2078 | Monitoring
Summary Extends membership in the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund to 10 years after discontinuance of service and to 15 years for those who were laid off or had 10 or more years of continuous service upon voluntary termination.
Sponsors Asw. Lampitt (D6), Asw. Bagolie (D27), Asm. Stanley (D18) / Sen. Gopal (D11), Sen. Greenstein (D14)
Status Passed in Assembly 69-6-0; passed in Senate 31-5; returned to Assembly to concur with Senate amendments.
S-2498/S-2505/A-3864 | Support
Summary Requires the NJDOE to establish a web portal for educators and substitutes to submit common applications for employment at New Jersey public schools.
Sponsors Sen. Ruiz (D29, Sen. Turner (D15), Sen. McKnight (D31) / Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15), Asw. Quijano (D20)
Status Passed in Senate 40-0; approved by the Assembly Education Committee, approved by Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee and referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee.
A-5118/S-4223 | Monitoring
Summary Provides health care benefits to disabled members of TPAF and PERS.
Sponsors Asw. Swain (D38) / Sen. Lagana (D38), Sen. Mukherji (D32)
Status Passed in Assembly 70-0-1; approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
A-4983 | Support & Seeking Amendments
Summary Requires certain athletic trainers and certain coaches of interscholastic sports, cheerleading and dance programs, and collegiate sports to complete student-athlete eating disorder training program developed by Commissioner of Education.
Sponsors Asw. Bagolie (D27), Asw. Drulis (D16), Asw. Hall (D28)
Status Passed in Assembly 76-2-0.
A-4625/S-3509 | Oppose
Summary Requires employers to include in job posting whether posting is for existing position and sets additional job posting requirements.
Sponsors Asm. Danielsen (D17), Asw. Speight (D29) / Sen. Moriarty (D4)
Status Approved by Assembly Labor Committee and referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee; approved by Senate Labor Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
S-2844/A-3984 | Support
Summary Establishes Jersey Strong Public Service Scholarship Program.
Sponsors Sen. McKeon (D27) / Asw. Bagolie (D27), Asw. Collazos-Gill (D27), Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee; approved by Assembly Education Committee and referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee.
A-5022 | Oppose
Summary Establishes “Occupational Heat-Related Illness and Injury Prevention Program” and occupational heat stress standard in DOLWD.
Sponsors Asw. Quijano (D20), Asm. Sampson (D31)
Status Approved by Assembly Labor Committee and referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee.
A-5075/S-3933 | Support
Summary Establishes School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program; appropriates $500,000.
Sponsors Asw. Swain (D38), Asw. Morales (D34), Asw. Bagolie (D27) / Sen. Ruiz (D29), Sen. McKnight (D31)
Status Approved by Assembly Education Committee and referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee; approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
A-919 | Oppose
Summary Establishes procedures and standards regarding public service privatization contracts.
Sponsors Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15), Asm. Verrelli (D15), Asw. Quijano (D20)
Status Approved by Assembly Labor Committee.
SJR-93 | Support
Summary Designates first full week of May of each year as “Teacher Appreciation Week.”
Sponsors Sen. Greenstein (D14), Sen. McKnight (D31)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee.
Student Health and Safety
S-1548/A-1028 | Support
Summary Requires districts to adopt policies concerning student use of sunscreen and sun-protective clothing at school and school-sponsored events.
Sponsors Asw. Munoz (R21), Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15) / Sen. Turner (D15)
Status Signed by the governor on March 31, 2025 (P.L.2025, c.37). Effective in the 2025-2026 school year.
S-3695/A-4882 | Support
Summary Requires cell phone and social media guidelines to be developed by DOE and policy to be adopted by each school district.
Sponsors Sen. Moriarty (D4), Sen. Corrado (R40) / Asw. Bagolie (D27), Asm. Miller (D4), Asw. Morales (D34)
Status Passed in Senate 35-0; approved by Senate Education Committee.
Notes The NJSBA’s position was featured on KYW Newsradio on March 10, 2025.
S-1253/A-1165 | Support
Summary Establishes pilot program in the NJDOE to use therapy dogs in public elementary school wellness programs.
Sponsors Sen. Beach (D6), Sen. Bucco (R25) / Asw. Murphy (D7), Asw. Matsikoudis (R21)
Status Passed in Senate 37-0; posted “For Discussion Only” by Assembly Education Committee.
S-3961 | Monitoring
Summary Requires public and nonpublic schools to offer no-fee option to parents for making school lunch and other payments; requires payment processing platforms used by these schools to provide users with information on user fees.
Sponsors Sen. Ruiz (D29), Sen. Scutari (D22)
Status Passed in Senate 38-0.
A-3340 | Monitoring
Summary Clarifies which health care professional may provide documentation to school district of need for home instruction due to student’s health condition.
Sponsors Asm. Greenwald (D6), Asm. Stanley (D18), Asw. Murphy (D7)
Status Passed in Assembly 75-2-0.
A-3424/S-1784 | Support
Summary Establishes certain program requirements for school counselor certification; outlines role and duties of school counselor; requires professional development for school counselors; establishes position of School Counselor Liaison in DOE.
Sponsors Asw. Reynolds-Jackson (D15), Asw. Matsikoudis (R21) / Sen. McKnight (D31)
Status Approved by Assembly Education Committee and referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee; approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
A-3019 | Support
Summary Requires new flooring for schools and child care centers to be certified mercury-free.
Sponsors Asm. Calabrese (D36), Asm. Stanley (D18), Asm. Danielsen (D17)
Status Approved by Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee.
A-5093 | Monitoring
Summary Requires school meal service providers to give purchasing preference to foods produced by in-state farmers and other food producers located within state borders or within 100 miles of destination school.
Sponsors Asm. Spearman (D5), Asw. Katz (D8), Asw. Morales (D34)
Status Approved by Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee and referred to Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee.
S-908 | Monitoring
Summary Requires portable anti-choking devices be placed in schools.
Sponsors Sen. Corrado (R40), Sen. Space (R24)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Transportation
S-3447 | Support
Summary Establishes Special Education Transportation Task Force.
Sponsors Sen. Corrado (R40), Sen. Diegnan (D18)
Status Passed in Senate 39-0.
S-3858 | Support & Seeking Amendments
Summary Requires school bus personnel members working with students with disabilities to call 911 emergency line in potential life-threatening emergencies; requires school buses transporting students with disabilities to be equipped with certain safety features.
Sponsors Sen. Bucco (R25), Sen. Diegnan (D18)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee and referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Notes The NJSBA’s committee testimony was featured on NorthJersey.com on March 19, 2025.
S-315 | Support
Summary Permits school bus driver to administer epinephrine to student in emergency under certain circumstances.
Sponsors Sen. Diegnan (D18), Sen. Beach (D6)
Status Approved by Senate Education Committee.
Miscellaneous
AJR-159/SJR-109 | Support
Summary Designates November 14 of each year as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day.
Sponsors Asw. Sumter (D35), Asm. Verrelli (D15), Asm. Wimberly (D35) / Sen. McKnight (D31), Sen. Mukherji (D32)
Status Signed by the governor on March 17, 2025 (P.L.2025, JR-3). Effective immediately.
S-4162 | Support
Summary Limits use or disclosure of certain education records.
Sponsors Sen. Turner (D15), Sen. Ruiz (D29)
Status Passed in Senate 39-0.
S-3902 | Support
Summary Permits excused absence for students participating in college visits, visits to postsecondary technical institutions, and military recruitment-related activities.
Sponsors Sen. Bucco (R25), Sen. Bramnick (R21)
Status Approved by Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
FY26 State Budget Proposal
On Tuesday, Feb. 25, Gov. Phil Murphy made his annual budget address and soon after released his administration’s proposed fiscal year 2026 state budget. As required by law, the New Jersey Department of Education issued state aid notices to districts two days following the delivery of the governor’s budget address. District-by-district, countywide and preschool aid allocations can be found on the New Jersey Department of Education’s website.
The administration’s budget proposal includes $22.2 billion for pre-K to 12 education – approximately 38% of the total state budget. Several highlights of this education component are below.
K-12 Formula Aid
The proposed budget includes approximately $12.06 billion in formula aid – a $386 million (3.3%) increase over fiscal year 2025.
The initial budget proposal includes several significant developments regarding the funding formula. First, the proposal includes several tools to decrease aid volatility and increase predictability. As announced by the NJDOE on Feb. 18, the state plans to limit, by a maximum of 3%, decreases in the four main categories of state aid for each district. (Those categories are Equalization, Special Education, Security and Transportation Aid. Changes to other aid categories, including Choice Funding, Military Impact Aid, County Vocational Stabilization Aid and Educational Adequacy Aid – which are determined through factors such as annual participation or enrollment – are not among the categories being held to that reduction cap.) Increases in those four main categories of aid are being capped at 6%.
Additionally, the administration is proposing to use three-year averages for property values and income when calculating a district’s local fair share. According to a statement from the governor, this adjustment is intended to “bring greater stability to the formula’s measure of a community’s capacity to support its education costs.”
The administration is also proposing the creation of “a mechanism for additional tax levy growth cap flexibility for some districts.” This flexibility would be available to districts that are raising less tax revenue than their local fair share and that are spending below their adequacy thresholds. The proposal allocates $20 million for a new category of aid – Tax Levy Incentive Aid – which would provide additional state funding to support districts that increase local revenue. Increasing tax cap flexibility has been an advocacy priority of the NJSBA.
Finally, the proposal includes a switch in calculating special education aid using actual enrollment numbers and an adjustment to per-pupil costs to ensure mental health and school security needs are accounted for. Special education categorical aid is set to increase from fiscal year 2025 by almost $403 million (29.5%) according to NJDOE’s state aid details, while security aid will increase by $59 million (16.1%). Aid for transportation – another fast-rising cost for districts – will increase by $139 million (36.7%). Adjustment aid has been eliminated as a separate category.
Preschool Aid
The proposal would increase preschool education aid by $34.6 million (2.8%), for a total of $1.27 billion. This funding would fully fund programs started in 2024-2025 and will include $10 million to expand programs into new districts. The proposal also mentions an initiative to provide cost-sharing as part of those expansion grants to help accelerate universal pre-K.
Extraordinary Special Education Aid
The proposal would maintain funding for extraordinary special education aid at its fiscal year 2024 and 2025 levels: $420 million.
Academic Programs
The budget proposal includes information on several academic initiatives:
- In noting the literacy package Murphy signed in 2024, the administration hopes to allot $2.625 million to “continue to advance literacy initiatives, help districts implement screening, and leverage a multi-million-dollar federal grant award.”
- The proposal also includes $7.5 million in new grant funding to support districts offering high-impact tutoring to students in need of extra academic support.
- Finally, the proposal indicates that $1 million funding for computer science programs will be extended.
Student Health
The governor’s proposal includes:
- $3 million for a new grant program to support schools in removing cell phones from classrooms.
- $2 million in new funding for school lead filters.
- Funding for school meals for over 17,000 students through the Working-Class Families Anti-Hunger Act and a recommitment to the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer by supplementing $75 million to be received from the federal government with $4.4 million in state funds.
- Level funding ($43 million) for the New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) network of regional hubs launched in 2023 to coordinate and deliver youth mental wellness services at various community locations, including schools. The proposal states that, to date, services have been provided to over 460,000 students.
School Facilities and Operations
The proposal includes flat funding for school construction in fiscal year 2026. The administration signaled its intent to disburse an additional $350 million from the $1.9 billion that was appropriated to the Schools Development Authority in 2022 “for current projects and to help the SDA move forward on projects identified in its 2019 Statewide Strategic Plan.” And, like the current budget year, $50 million of additional general fund appropriations will be available to support capital grants in SDA districts.
The proposal also includes decreases in funding to Local Efficiency Achievement Program and School Regionalization Efficiency Program grants. Funding for those grant programs totaled $8 million in fiscal year 2025, while the proposal asks for $3 million in the upcoming budget year.
Other Initiatives
The proposal includes information on several new items heading into fiscal year 2026. First, the proposal indicates the state will save $20 million in “Public Notice Reform Savings.” As has been reported in several editions of School Board Notes, the governor has signed multiple bills into law providing temporary relief, so that local government bodies can post public notices on digital formats of newspapers to comply with the Open Public Meetings Act and other public notice requirements. The inclusion of these savings in the budget proposal may indicate that the administration is working with the assumption that government bodies will be able to post public notices on their own websites moving forward, which is a position that the NJSBA has taken in its advocacy work.
Echoing Murphy’s State of the State speech, the budget proposal indicates that the administration intends to push to require full-day kindergarten in all the state’s school districts. To date, the administration has not shared any funding amount tied to this proposal.
The budget proposal would decrease funding for teachers’ stipends and loan redemption programs from $15 million to $3.5 million.
Finally, the proposal includes $1 million in new “Youth Vote Expansion Grants” to “local government leaders across New Jersey to create new opportunities for 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local school board elections.”
Next Steps
Throughout April and May, both the Senate and General Assembly will hold a series of committee hearings to allow the public, executive branch agency heads and other stakeholders to weigh in on the governor’s proposal. The NJSBA provided verbal testimony and submitted written testimony to each house’s budget committee. The Legislature will ultimately introduce, discuss and pass a fiscal year 2026 budget bill for the governor’s signature in advance of the June 30, 2025, constitutional deadline.
The full fiscal year 2026 Budget in Brief can be found on the Office of Management and Budget’s website. The NJDOE’s 2025-2026 state aid notices can be found on NJDOE’s website. Information related to legislative deliberations on the budget, including analyses published by the Office of Legislative Services and testimony submitted by department heads, is available on the State Legislature’s website. The NJSBA will continue to provide updates on the budget development process as details become available.
