Establishes five-year community schools pilot program.

S3804

SENATE, No. 3804

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 5, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� M. TERESA RUIZ

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

Senator� SHIRLEY K. TURNER

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes five-year community schools pilot
program.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
establishing a community schools pilot program and
supplementing chapter 6 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,
�community schools� means public schools that participate in a community-based
effort to coordinate and integrate educational, developmental, family, health,
and other comprehensive services through community-based organizations and public
and private partnerships, providing access to these services to students,
families, and the community year-round.

���� 2.��� a.�� The Commissioner of
Education shall establish a five-year �Community Schools Pilot Program� in the
Department of Education.� The objective of the pilot program shall be to
facilitate the establishment of community schools that demonstrate a commitment
to the four pillars of: integrated student supports; expanded learning time and
opportunities; family and community engagement; and collaborative leadership
and practice.� Under the pilot program, any school district, renaissance
school, or charter school shall be able to receive training and ongoing support
throughout the duration of the pilot program regarding the establishment and
operation of a community school, and one public school of a school district,
renaissance school, or charter school in each county of the State shall be
assigned a site coordinator who shall assist in the establishment and
operations of a community school and oversee and coordinate the services and
outreach to students and families.

���� b.��� No later than three
months following the effective date of this act, the commissioner shall
identify an institution of higher education or a qualified nonprofit
organization with the appropriate capacity and experience located in the State
that has demonstrated a commitment to facilitating high quality community
schools in New Jersey to manage the pilot program.� Upon selecting an
organization or institution of higher education to manage the pilot program,
the commissioner shall enter into a contract with that organization or
institution specifying how State funds may be used and its duties and
responsibilities including, but not limited to, those identified in section 3
of this act.

���� c.���� The Department of
Education shall develop a list of schools selected to participate in the pilot
program, and shall post the list on the department�s website in a prominent and
easily accessible location.

���� 3.��� a.�� The organization or
institution of higher education selected by the commissioner to manage the
pilot program shall establish a technical assistance center that will be
available to schools that are participating in the pilot program.� The
organization or institution of higher education shall also make group training
sessions and materials about community school operations accessible to any
school district, renaissance school, or charter school that expresses an
interest in developing a community school.� The technical assistance center
shall be responsible for the Statewide dissemination of information on
effective and promising practices in the establishment and ongoing management
of community school strategies through professional development and technical
assistance activities designed to:

���� (1)� familiarize school
personnel across the State with community school strategies;

���� (2)� increase the knowledge
and skills of school staff and community partners to aid in the implementation,
management, and sustainability of community schools;

���� (3)� promote the establishment
and development of community schools that incorporate the characteristics of
community school strategies;

���� (4)� provide community schools
with the tools necessary to design and implement needs assessments that will
provide the data necessary to effectively target community school resources;

���� (5)� increase Statewide
capacity to support effective community school strategies; and

���� (6)� identify and evaluate
community schools� needs in order to provide tailored technical assistance and
professional development.

���� b.��� The department, in
coordination with the organization or institution of higher education, and the
New Jersey Community Schools Coalition, shall develop specific criteria for
selecting schools, including renaissance and charter schools, to participate in
the pilot program and receive direct support from a site coordinator assigned
to the school.� The selection criteria shall be posted on the department�s
website.

���� c.���� The organization or
institution of higher education shall employ and train individuals who shall be
assigned to serve as a site coordinator. Individuals selected to serve as site
coordinators shall be employees of the organization or institution of higher
education, and not the school district, renaissance school, or charter school
to which they are assigned. The salaries, wages, and other financial
compensation of the site coordinators shall be the responsibility of the
organization or institution of higher education.

���� d.��� A public school selected
to participate in the pilot program shall enter into an agreement with the
selected organization or institution of higher education outlining at minimum
the role, responsibilities, and authority the site coordinator has in supporting
the establishment of the community school site.

���� e.���� The organization or
institution of higher education may enter into an agreement with another
nonprofit entity to assist it in fulfilling any of the responsibilities
enumerated in subsections a. through c. of this section, subject to the
approval of the commissioner.

���� 4.��� a.�� The commissioner
shall annually receive an audit of the accounts and financial transactions of
the organization or institution of higher education for the duration of the
pilot program.

���� b.��� The commissioner shall
enter into a contract with an independent entity to conduct an evaluation of
the pilot program.� The entity shall have expertise in evaluating educational
programs and the provision of a range of social services.� The evaluator shall
issue a final report on the implementation of the pilot program no later than
six months following the pilot program�s completion.� The commissioner shall
forward the final report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to
section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).

���� 5.��� There is established in
the Department of Education a nonlapsing fund that shall be known as the
Community Schools Pilot Program Fund.� The fund shall consist of any funds that
are appropriated by the Legislature for inclusion in the fund, investment earnings
of the fund, and moneys contributed to the fund by private sources.� The moneys
in the fund� may be invested and reinvested as other trust funds in the custody
of the State in the manner provided by law.� Expenditures from the fund shall
be exclusively for the purpose of implementing the provisions of this act.

���� 6.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the fourth month following the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

����� This bill establishes a five-year Community Schools
Pilot Program in the Department of Education.� Under the bill, the Commissioner
of Education is to identify and enter into a contract with an institution of
higher education or a qualified nonprofit organization with the appropriate
capacity and experience located in the State to manage the pilot program.� The
organization or institution and the department will be responsible for
selecting one public school of a school district, renaissance school, or charter
school in each county of the State that would receive direct assistance from a
site coordinator assigned to the school.�

����� Additionally, the selected institution or
organization is required to establish a technical assistance center that would
be available to schools participating in the pilot program and would be
responsible for making group training sessions and information about community
schools available to any school district, renaissance school, or charter school
interested in establishing a community school.� The technical assistance center
will be responsible for the Statewide dissemination of information on effective
and promising practices in the establishment and ongoing management of
community school strategies through professional development and technical
assistance activities.

����� Under the bill, the department, in coordination with
the organization or institution, and the New Jersey Community Schools
Coalition, is to develop specific criteria for selecting schools to participate
in the program and receive direct support from a site coordinator.� The
selection criteria would be posted on the department�s website.� The
organization or institution is required to employ and train individuals who
would be assigned to serve as a site coordinator.� Site coordinators are to be
employees of the organization or institution, and not the school district,
renaissance school, or charter school to which they are assigned.� The
salaries, wages, and other financial compensation of the site coordinators
would be the responsibility of the organization or institution.� The bill
directs a public school selected to participate in the pilot to enter into an
agreement with the selected institution or organization outlining at a minimum
the role, responsibilities, and authority the site coordinator has in supporting
the establishment of the community school site.

����� The organization or institution can enter into an
agreement with another nonprofit entity to assist it in fulfilling
responsibilities enumerated in certain sections of the bill, subject to
approval of the commissioner.

����� The commissioner would receive an annual audit of the
accounts and financial transactions of the organization or institution for the
duration of the pilot program.� The bill also directs the commissioner to enter
into a contract with an independent entity to conduct an evaluation of the
pilot program.� The final report, which the commissioner would forward to the
Governor and the Legislature, would be due no later than six months following
the conclusion of the pilot program.

����� The bill establishes the Community Schools Pilot
Program Fund in the Department of Education. The fund is to consist of any
funds that are appropriated by the Legislature, investment earnings of the
fund, and moneys contributed to the fund by private sources.� The bill allows
the moneys in the fund to be invested and reinvested as other trust funds in
the custody of the State in the manner provided by law.
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