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A4089
ASSEMBLY, No. 4089
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman� ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes loan redemption program for certain
bilingual education teachers.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
establishing a loan redemption program for
certain public school teachers and supplementing chapter 71C of Title 18A of
the New Jersey Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� As used in this act:
���� �Authority� means the Higher
Education Student Assistance Authority established pursuant to N.J.S.18A:71A-3.
���� �Eligible student loan
expenses� means the outstanding balance of the principal and interest due on
student loans used to cover the cost of attendance while enrolled in an
undergraduate or graduate degree program at an institution of higher education.
���� �Low performing public school�
means a school located in New Jersey, under collegiate grade, which is operated
by a school district, a charter school established pursuant to P.L.1995, c.426
(C.18A:36A-1 et seq.), or a renaissance school established pursuant to
P.L.2011, c.176 (C.18A:36C-1 et seq.), that meets the criteria of paragraph
(1), paragraph (2), or paragraph (3):
���� (1)�� among
all students in that school to whom a State assessment was administered, the
sum
of the
percent of students scoring in the
not
yet meeting expectations and partially meeting expectations categories
in both the language arts and mathematics subject
areas of the State assessments exceeded 40 percent in each of the prior two
school years; or
���� (2)�� among
all students in that school to whom a State assessment was administered, the
sum
of the
percent of students scoring in the
not
yet meeting expectations and partially meeting expectations categories
in either the language arts or mathematics subject
areas of the State assessment exceeded 65 percent in each of the prior two
school years; or
���� (3)�� is
listed on the Teacher Cancellation Low Income Directory established by the
United States Department of Education.
���� (4)�� A
school that meets the criteria of paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) of this
section shall continue to be designated a low performing public school until
such time that the
sum of the
percent of
students scoring in the
not yet meeting expectations and partially
meeting expectations categories
in both the
language arts and mathematics subject areas of the State assessments is less
than or equal to the
sum of the
Statewide
percent of students scoring in the
not yet meeting expectations and
partially meeting expectations categories
on the
corresponding Statewide assessments.
���� �Program participant� means a
person who is employed on the effective date of this act or is initially hired
following the effective date of this act by a school district, charter school,
or renaissance
school to fill a role requiring a
bilingual or English as a second language endorsement and who meets the
criteria of section 2 of this act, and who has executed a contract with the
Higher Education Student Assistance Authority for participation in the loan
redemption program.� A program participant shall be a resident of New Jersey.
���� �School district� means a
local or regional school district established pursuant to chapter 8 or chapter
13 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, a county vocational school district
established pursuant to article 3 of chapter 54 of Title 18A of the New Jersey
Statutes, and a school district under full State intervention pursuant to
P.L.1987, c.399 (C.18A:7A-34 et seq.).
���� 2.��� a.� There is established
in the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority a loan redemption program
for public school teachers who teach in a bilingual education or English as a
second language program.� The program shall provide for the redemption of
eligible student loan expenses of a program participant following the fourth
consecutive year of full-time employment as a teacher in a bilingual education
or English as a second language program in a public school in which at least 10
percent of the students are enrolled in a bilingual education or English as a
second language program. The authority shall give priority under the program to
teachers who are employed at a low performing public school.
���� b.��� A program participant
may redeem eligible student loan expenses upon execution of a contract between
the program participant and the authority.� The contract shall specify the
total amount of debt to be redeemed by the State in return for service pursuant
to subsection c. of this section.� A program participant who has entered into a
contract with the authority shall remain eligible for loan redemption under the
contract in the event that the number of students enrolled in a bilingual
education or English as a second language program falls below 10 percent of
total enrollment at the public school in which the teacher is employed or the
teacher is transferred to a school in the district that does not meet the
enrollment requirements.� A program participant who has entered into a contract
with the authority shall remain eligible for loan redemption under the contract
in the event that the public school in which the teacher is employed loses its
designation as a low performing public school or the teacher is transferred to
a school in the district that is not a low performing public school.
���� c.���� The redemption of loans
under the loan redemption program shall equal 25 percent of the participant�s
eligible student loan expenses, up to $5,000, in return for each consecutive
year of full-time employment as a teacher in a bilingual education or English
as a second language program in a public school.� The total amount of
eligible student loan expenses
which may be redeemed under the program by a program participant, for four full
school years of service, shall not exceed $20,000.� A program participant shall
submit to the authority proof of eligible employment in a public school prior
to redemption of loan indebtedness.� A program participant is not required to
teach at the same public school for four consecutive years.
���� d.��� A program participant
who has entered into a redemption contract with the authority may nullify the
contract by submitting written notification to the authority and assuming full
responsibility for repayment of principal and interest on the full amount of
his loans or that portion of the loans which has not been redeemed by the State
in return for fulfillment of the contract.
���� e.���� In the case of the
program participant�s death or total and permanent disability, the authority
shall nullify the service obligation of the program participant.� The
nullification shall terminate the authority�s obligations under the loan
redemption contract.� If continued enforcement of the contract results in
extreme hardship, the authority may nullify or suspend the service obligation
of the program participant.
���� 3.��� The authority shall
annually post in a prominent location on its Internet website a list of
low-performing schools at which a public school teacher may be employed in
order to qualify for loan redemption under the loan redemption program
established pursuant to this act.
���� 4.��� The authority shall
annually submit a report on the loan redemption program established pursuant to
this act to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of
P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).� The report shall be submitted no later
than August 1 of each year and shall include, but not be limited to, the total
number of participants receiving loan redemption under the program, the total
number of participants who withdrew from the program or failed to complete the
program's employment requirement, and the effect of the program on filling
vacant teaching positions in a bilingual education or English as a second
language program.
���� 5.��� The authority shall
adopt, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act,"
P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations as may be necessary
to implement the provisions of this act.
���� 6.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� The bill establishes a loan
redemption program in the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority for
teachers who teach in a bilingual education or English as a second language
program at public schools.
���� Under the bill, a program
participant must be a resident of New Jersey and execute a contract with the
authority.� The authority will give priority under the program to teachers who
are employed at a low performing public school, including a charter school or a
renaissance school.� The redemption of loans under the program will equal 25
percent of the participant�s eligible student loan expenses, up to $5,000, in
return for each consecutive year of full-time employment as a teacher who
teaches in a bilingual education or English as a second language program at a
public school in which at least 10 percent of the students are enrolled in a
bilingual education or English as a second language program.� The total amount
of eligible student loan expenses that would be redeemed under the program by a
program participant, for four full school years of service, will not exceed
$20,000.� A program participant would not be required to teach at the same
public school for four consecutive years.
���� The bill directs the authority
to annually post in a prominent location on its Internet website a list of
low-performing schools at which a public school teacher may be employed in
order to qualify for loan redemption under the bill.
���� A program participant who has
entered into a redemption contract with the authority may nullify the contract
by submitting written notification to the authority and assuming full
responsibility for repayment of principal and interest on the full amount of
his loans or that portion of the loans which has not been redeemed by the State
in return for fulfillment of the contract.� In the event of a program
participant�s death or total and permanent disability, the authority will
nullify the service obligation of the program participant.� The nullification
will terminate the authority�s obligations under the loan redemption contract.
���� The authority will annually
submit a report on the loan redemption program to the Governor and the
Legislature no later than August 1 of each year.� The report will include, but
not be limited to, the total number of participants receiving loan redemption
under the program, the total number of participants who withdrew from the
program or failed to complete the program's employment requirement, and the
effect of the program on filling vacant teaching positions in a bilingual
education or English as a second language program.��