ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 5930

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 4, 2025

      The Assembly Education Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 5930.

      As amended, this bill modifies the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teacher (STEM) grant program to permit retired teachers and county college faculty members to teach in nonpublic schools under the program.  The bill also authorizes the inclusion of individuals, who may teach some other STEM subject or area, to be eligible teachers under the program.

      In 2019, the Legislature established a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teacher STEM grant program, P.L 2019, c.256.  Under the program, participating nonpublic schools form partnerships with eligible teachers and school districts, in which an eligible teacher employed by the district teaches STEM classes at the nonpublic school.  The Commissioner of Education awards grants to participating school districts to provide compensation to participating teachers.  This bill provides that under the program, participating nonpublic schools would form partnerships with eligible teachers, and the school district in which the eligible teacher is employed as applicable.

      This bill expands the criteria for eligible teachers who may teach in nonpublic schools under the program.  Specifically, the bill newly allows the following individuals to participate in the program: (1) a STEM teacher who was previously employed by a school district to teach STEM, but is now retired and receiving a retirement allowance under the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund; or (2) a faculty member at a county college who participates in a collective bargaining agreement and currently teaches a STEM course.  The bill also authorizes a currently employed or retired teacher or a county college faculty member, who teaches or taught a STEM subject or area other than science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or computer science, to participate in the program.  The bill further establishes a formula for the calculation of the remuneration provided under the program for participating retired teachers and county college faculty members. 

The bill also authorizes the payment by the Department of Education or a third-party administrator of grant funds directly to retired teachers previously employed by a school district and county college faculty members.

      The bill provides that the cancellation, reenrollment, and additional retirement allowance provisions under any provision of law related to a retirement system or program will not apply to a retired teacher who was a former member of the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund and becomes employed for the purposes of the grant program.  The cancellation, reenrollment, and additional retirement allowance provisions would apply, however, if the former member becomes employed within 180 days with the employer from which the member retired.  The bill also stipulates that payments made to participating eligible teachers pursuant to the program would not change any status or benefits under any retirement system or program to which the eligible teacher has membership.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

· update the definition of eligible teacher to include a faculty member at a county college who participates in a collective bargaining agreement and teaches a course in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computer science, or other STEM subject or area;

· provide that under the program, participating nonpublic schools would form partnerships with eligible teachers, and the school district in which the eligible teacher is employed as applicable, in which an eligible teacher teaches STEM classes at the nonpublic school;

· add language stating that additional purposes of the program include increasing the earning potential of eligible teachers and improving retention among public school teachers;

· remove a provision of the bill that would have required school districts to annually notify retired individuals, who were previously employed by the district, of the STEM grant program;

· reinsert a provision providing that the grant funds for approved applications of eligible teachers currently employed by a school district would be paid to the school district of a participating eligible teacher before then being used by the school district to provide compensation to a participating eligible teacher including applicable federal payroll taxes;

· provide that the grant funds for approved applications of eligible teachers, who are retired teachers previously employed by a school district or county college faculty members, may be allocated by the Department of Education or a third-party administrator directly to an eligible teacher;

· add language requiring that grant applications of eligible teachers currently employed by a school district would be fully funded before any funding is apportioned to eligible teachers who are retired teachers or county college faculty members;

· provide that payments received by a participating teacher under the grant program would not be considered in the calculation of “base salary” or “base annual salary” for the purposes of the alternate benefit program;

· provide that payments received under the program would not change any status or benefits under any retirement system or program to which an eligible teacher has membership;

· remove a provision of the bill that would have appropriated $3.5 million for the STEM grant program; and

· provide that the cancellation, reenrollment, and additional retirement allowance provisions of any law related to retirement systems would not apply to a retired teacher who is a member of the Teacher’s Pension and Annuity Fund and participates in the program unless the retired teacher becomes employed within 180 days with the employer from which the teacher retired.