Establishes Office of Community Schools; appropriates $10 million.

S3429

SENATE, No. 3429

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 9, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� M. TERESA RUIZ

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

Senator� SHIRLEY K. TURNER

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes Office of Community Schools; appropriates
$10 million.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

establishing the Office of Community Schools,
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.� There is established
in the Department of Education the Office of Community Schools.� The purpose of
the office is to address student needs through community-based educational,
developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services.

���� b.� The Commissioner of
Education shall establish the office, which shall consist of individuals
qualified by training and experience related to community-based learning.� The
staff shall be supervised by a person of recognized judgement, integrity, and objectivity,
who shall be skilled in communication, conflict resolution, and
professionalism.

���� c. The office shall be
responsible for the work of any professional and clerical staff as may be
necessary to carry out the office�s responsibilities.

���� 2.� The duties of the Office
of Community Schools shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

���� a.� providing training and
support for public schools interested in adopting community school strategies;

���� b.� increasing the knowledge
and skills of school staff and community partners to aid in the implementation,
management, and sustainability of community schools;

���� c.� providing grants to public
schools for the purposes of adopting community school strategies;

���� d.� providing a list of school
districts, renaissance schools, and charter schools that have established
community schools, to be published on the department�s Internet website;

���� e.� increasing Statewide
capacity to support effective community school strategies; and

���� f.� identifying and evaluating
the needs of community schools in order to provide tailored technical
assistance and professional development opportunities.

���� 3.� To effectuate the
provisions of this act, there is appropriated to the Department of Education
the sum of $10,000,000, of which $2,000,000 shall be appropriated from the
General Fund and $8,000,000 shall, to the extent permitted by federal law, be
appropriated from funds allocated to the State from the federal �State Fiscal
Recovery Fund,� established pursuant to the federal �American Rescue Plan Act
of 2021,� Pub.L.117-2.

���� 4.� The department shall
submit an annual report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to
section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).�

���� 5.� This act shall take effect
immediately and shall first apply to the first full school year following the
date of enactment, except that the Commissioner of Education may take such
anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as may be necessary for
the implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the
Office of Community Schools in the Department of Education.� The purpose of the
office is to address student needs through community-based educational,
developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services.

���� Under the bill, the
Commissioner of Education is to establish the office, which is to consist of
individuals qualified by training and experience related to community-based
learning.

���� The duties of the office
include, but are not limited to: (1) providing training and support for public
schools interested in adopting community school strategies; (2) increasing the
knowledge and skills of school staff and community partners to aid in the
implementation, management, and sustainability of community schools; (3)
providing grants to public schools for the purposes of adopting community
school strategies; (4) providing a list of school districts, renaissance
schools, and charter schools that have established community schools, to be
published on the department�s Internet website; (5) increasing Statewide
capacity to support effective community school strategies; and (6) identifying
and evaluating community schools� needs in order to provide tailored technical
assistance and professional development opportunities

���� The bill also requires the
office to submit an annual report to the Governor and to the Legislature that
includes a summary of the services provided.� The bill appropriates $10 million
to the department to establish the office.�