SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3933

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 17, 2025

     The Senate Education Committee favorably reports Senate Bill No. 3933.

     This bill establishes a three-year School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program.  The program is to strengthen the school leadership pipeline in public schools throughout the State by supporting and developing novice supervisors through a one-year mentoring cycle. As defined in the bill, novice supervisor means any appropriately certified individual assigned with the responsibility for the direction and guidance of the work of teaching staff members and who is in the first year of employment in a supervisor role.

     The bill requires the Commissioner of Education to develop guidelines for the program.  The guidelines are to be based upon the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Policy Board for Educational Administration. The commissioner is to also enter into a partnership with a nonprofit organization with expertise in providing professional learning and mentoring services to school leaders. The bill requires the commissioner to oversee the program, which is to be administered by the nonprofit organization based on the guidelines developed by the commissioner.

     Under the bill, a novice supervisor who wishes to participate in the program is to submit an application to the commissioner in a form and manner determined by the commissioner. The commissioner is to annually select a cohort of novice supervisors to participate in a one-year cycle of the program. The commissioner is to select a new cohort of participants for each year that the program is in operation.  To the maximum extent possible, the commissioner is to select participants from school districts, charter schools, and renaissance schools in the northern, central, and southern regions of the State, and is to seek a cross section of participants from urban, suburban, and rural areas.

     The bill stipulates that individuals selected to participate in the program are to be assigned to one of three groups. During the course of the program, each participant is to meet with a mentor selected by the partnering nonprofit organization for a minimum of 15 hours throughout the school year, and is to participate in additional professional learning opportunities as they are available throughout their one-year cycle.

     The bill also requires the commissioner, in coordination with the nonprofit organization, to submit a report to the Governor and to the Legislature on the effectiveness of the program and recommendations concerning the advisability of the program’s continuation. The report is to also include feedback from program mentors and mentees.  Finally, this bill appropriates $500,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Education to implement the provisions of the bill.