Deadlines Loom for Grant Program for Public Teachers Who Want to Teach at Nonpublic Schools During Mutually Agreed Hours

Legislation signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in August 2019 (P.L.2019, c.256) established a grant program that provides additional remuneration for public school teachers to teach science, technology, engineering and math classes in nonpublic schools during hours mutually agreed upon by the teacher, district and nonpublic school.

By Dec. 22, public school administrators must notify all teachers employed by the district of the grant program and share this TeachSTEM survey link so interested teachers can submit their contact information. Teachers participating in the program must submit their contact information via the survey by Jan. 28, 2022, according to a memo from the New Jersey Department of Education.

Eligible teachers must meet one of the following criteria: (1) hold certification to teach STEM; (2) be enrolled in a STEM certification program; or (3) provide a written commitment to pursue a STEM program within two years.

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.

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 their respective county office of education after Jan. 28, 2022. The 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 the application, including an agreement to the teaching hours signed by the nonpublic school, school district administrator, and eligible teacher, by March 31, 2022. The grant application is located on the nonpublic school services website.

Grant recipients will be announced in June, and teaching will begin in the 2022-2023 school year. Remuneration for teachers will be based on their annual district salary as calculated on a per-hour basis times the number of hours of instruction provided at the nonpublic school.

Contact NonpublicSTEMGrant@doe.nj.gov with questions.