Establishes "New Jersey STEM Scholars Grant Pilot Program" in Department of Education.

A2066

ASSEMBLY, No. 2066

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman LINDA S. CARTER

District 22 (Somerset and Union)

Assemblyman JAMES J. KENNEDY

District 22 (Somerset and Union)

Assemblyman CLINTON CALABRESE

District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Murphy, Assemblyman Karabinchak,
Assemblywoman Lopez, Assemblyman Freiman, Assemblywomen Swain, Speight,
Assemblyman Stanley, Assemblywomen Haider, Reynolds-Jackson, Park, Quijano and
Assemblyman Venezia

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes "New Jersey STEM Scholars Grant
Pilot Program" in Department of Education.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
establishing the �New Jersey STEM Scholars Grant Pilot
Program� in the Department of Education.�

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

����� 1.�� a.�
As used in this section:

����� �Afterschool
STEM� means educational projects and programs that focus on extra-curricular
learning, including, but not limited to, science fairs, STEM clubs, monthly
labs, and workshops.�

����� �Department�
means the Department of Education.�

����� �Out-of-School
STEM� means creative STEM experiences outside the traditional classroom
setting, which better prepare students for STEM work in the classroom and in
the workforce.�

����� �Project-Based
Learning� means creative, STEM-integrated educational programming that focuses
on learning through a broad project that includes instruction, substantive
content, and reflection, with the goal that students participating in the
project will achieve a concrete goal or complete a project.�

����� �STEM�
means science, technology, engineering (including robotics), or mathematics.�

����� b.�� The
Commissioner of Education shall develop and administer the four-year �New
Jersey STEM Scholars Grant Pilot Program� to assist school districts,
renaissance schools, and charter schools in enhancing STEM education programs
for students and increasing access to STEM education programs.�

����� c.�� The
pilot program shall award grants to school districts , renaissance schools, and
charter schools seeking to create or expand STEM education programs along three
distinct areas of concentration: project-based learning, afterschool STEM, and
out-of-school STEM.�

����� d.�� A
school district, renaissance school, or charter school applying for a grant
under the pilot program shall submit an application to the commissioner.� The
application shall, at a minimum:

����� (1)� identify
the area or areas of concentration, as enumerated in subsection c. of this
section, for which the school district, renaissance school, or charter school
is seeking the grant funding;�

����� (2)� include
the amount of grant funding sought by the school district, renaissance school,
or charter school;

����� (3)� describe
how the grant funding will be used to create new STEM education programs or how
the grant funding will supplement existing STEM education efforts;�

����� (4)� outline
plans for recruiting students to the STEM education programs;�

����� (5)� include
a description of how the school district, renaissance school, or charter school
will support teachers and other mentors who lead the STEM education programs
and participants in the programs;

����� (6)� provide
a plan for sustaining the programs financially beyond the grant period;

����� (7)� include
a method to evaluate the impact of the STEM education programs on participating
students; and

����� (8)� include
any other information the commissioner deems necessary.�

����� e.�� Grant
awards shall be allocated to school districts, renaissance schools, and charter
schools on a competitive basis, in a manner to be determined by the
commissioner.�

����� f.��� Grant
funds provided to a school district, renaissance school, or charter school
shall be used to supplement, not supplant, funds used for STEM activities in
the district or school at the time of the application for the grant.�

����� g.�� There
is established within the Department of Education a fund to be known as the
�STEM Scholars Grant Fund,� hereinafter referred to as the �fund.� The fund
shall be used to provide grants to school districts, renaissance schools, and
charter schools under the pilot program.�

����� (1)� The
fund shall be annually credited with money appropriated by the Legislature and
any moneys received by the State from corporate donors or other private sector
support.�

����� (2)� The
department shall seek to secure the use of such funds or other resources from
private nonprofit or for-profit sources to effectuate the purposes of this act
as may be available therefor.

����� (3)� No
State funds shall be used to support a grant under the pilot program unless
there is an appropriation for the pilot program in the annual appropriations
act for the respective fiscal year.�

���� 2.��� This act shall first
take effect in the first full school year following the date of enactment, but
the Commissioner of Education may take such anticipatory administrative action
in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

����� This bill would establish the four-year �New Jersey
STEM Scholars Grant Pilot Program,� to provide grants to assist school
districts, renaissance schools, and charter schools in enhancing STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics) education programs for students and
to increase access to STEM education programs.

����� Applications for grant awards under the pilot program
would be submitted to the Commissioner of Education, who would allocate the
awards on a competitive basis.� The grant awards would be distributed so that
school districts, renaissance schools, and charter schools can build upon
existing STEM education programs or create new education programs along three
distinct areas of concentration: project-based learning, afterschool STEM, and
out-of-school STEM.

����� This bill also establishes within the Department of
Education a fund to be known as the �STEM Scholars Grant Fund,� for the provision
of grants to school districts, renaissance schools, and charter schools under
the pilot program.� The fund is to be annually credited with money appropriated
by the Legislature and any moneys received by the State from corporate donors
or other private sector support.� No State funds may be used to support a grant
under the pilot program unless there is an appropriation for the pilot program
in the annual appropriations act for the respective fiscal year.