ASSEMBLY, No. 1287
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman LOUIS D. GREENWALD
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Lampitt, Assemblymen Benson, Atkins, Assemblywoman Park, Assemblyman Wimberly and Assemblywoman McKnight
SYNOPSIS
Establishes teacher recruitment grant program in DOE; appropriates $6 million to DOE.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Higher Education Committee on May 19, 2022, with amendments.
An Act establishing a competitive grant program for teacher recruitment organizations, supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Commissioner of Education shall establish a competitive grant program to provide funding, over a period of three school years, to 1[an eligible organization] no less than two eligible organizations1 that 1[recruits, trains, and places] recruit, train, place, and retain1 new teachers 1for long-term employment1 in one or more 1[high poverty] underserved1 school districts in the State. To be eligible to receive a grant under this program, an organization shall:
(1) qualify as a tax-exempt organization pursuant to paragraph (3) of subsection (c) of section 501 of the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. s.501); 1and1
(2) place newly-trained teachers in 1[high poverty] underserved1 school districts 1[; and
(3) have a previously existing partnership with at least one high poverty school district in the State, as defined by the school district]1.
In awarding a grant to an organization, the commissioner shall consider factors including, but not limited to1[,] :1 the merits of the program proposed by the organization1[,];1 the potential to improve student outcomes1[,] ; the organization’s strategy to ensure that new teachers selected to teach in an underserved school district are committed to long-term employment; an applicant’s existing partnerships with school districts and the demonstrated success of those partnerships with respect to teacher retention;1 and the potential for the program to be implemented successfully.
b. The commissioner shall award 1[a grant] grants1 to the selected 1[organization] organizations1 in an amount equal to any private contributions raised by the 1[organization] organizations1 for the purpose of recruiting, training, 1[and]1 placing 1, and retaining1 new teachers in one or more 1[high poverty] underserved1 school districts in the State, not to exceed 1[$2,000,000] $1,000,0001 per year, in each of three consecutive school years. The first 1[grant] grants1 shall be provided no later than 1[May 1, 2014] six months after the effective date of this act1 .
c. As used in this section, 1[“high poverty school district,”] underserved school district1 means a school district in which the percent of students who are at-risk pupils, as defined pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-45), is equal to or greater than 40% 1, and which is experiencing a teacher workforce shortage as determined by the commissioner1.
2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $6,000,000 to effectuate the provisions of this act. The appropriation shall be deposited into a non-lapsing fund.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.