Establishes four-year Performing Arts Education Improvement Grant Program.

S4259

SENATE, No. 4259

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 14, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� LINDA R. GREENSTEIN

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

Co-Sponsored by:

Senator Diegnan

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes four-year Performing Arts Education
Improvement Grant Program.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
establishing a grant program to support performing arts
education in school districts.

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

���� 1.� The Commissioner of
Education shall develop and administer a four-year Performing Arts Education
Improvement Grant Program.� The purpose of the program shall be to award grants
to school districts to bolster educational programming and academic enrichment
opportunities in the performing arts.� The commissioner shall consult with the
New Jersey State Council on the Arts in the Department of State regarding the
design and administration of the grant program.�

���� 2.� a.� The Commissioner of
Education shall award grants, within the limit of funds appropriated to or
otherwise made available for the program, to selected school districts to be
used for the development and improvement of educational opportunities in the
performing arts and to assist districts in implementing comprehensive
performing arts education programs that are consistent with the New Jersey
Student Learning Standards in Visual and Performing Arts.�

���� b.� A school district that
wants to apply for a grant shall submit an application to the commissioner in a
manner and form to be determined by the commissioner.� A school district shall
demonstrate in its application that a majority of the schools in the district
have high concentrations of multilingual learners, students in resource family
care, students from rural areas of the State, or at-risk pupils as defined
pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-45).� In addition, the
application shall include:

���� (1)� an overview of the school
district�s current educational offerings and programming in the performing
arts;

���� (2)� a description of the
school district�s need for additional funds to develop or enhance performing
arts education programs;

���� (3)� details on performing
arts programming that may be expanded or created following the school
district�s receipt of a grant, including related costs, any other funds that
will be used to supplement the school district�s proposal, and the projected
demand for any expanded or new programming;

���� (4)� the number of students
that may be accommodated in a performing arts program that is expanded or newly
created as a result of the school district�s receipt of a grant;

���� (5)� a plan to sustain any
expanded or new performing arts education programs beyond the period of grant
funding using other State, federal, and local resources; and

���� (6)� any other information the
commissioner deems appropriate.�

���� c.� The commissioner shall
select 10 school districts to receive grants under the grant program and
determine the amount of each grant award.� The commissioner may award
multi-year grants.�

���� d.� A school district selected
for a grant under the grant program may use the proceeds of the grant for
purposes including, but not limited to, the:

���� (1)� purchase of performing
arts-related materials, equipment, and supplies;

���� (2)� provision of professional
development opportunities and other training to performing arts teachers
currently employed by the school district;

���� (3)� development of programs
to assist students interested in the performing arts in navigating the
transition from elementary school, middle school, and high school, as well as
to potential higher education opportunities or careers in the performing arts;
and

���� (4)� the development of
tutoring and extracurricular programs in the performing arts.

���� 3.� a.� At the conclusion of
each school year in which a school district receives a grant under the Performing
Arts Education Improvement Grant Program, the school district shall submit a
report to the Commissioner of Education containing, at a minimum:

���� (1)� the number of performing
arts education programs that were expanded or created as the result of a grant,
including a breakdown of student participation by grade level and descriptions
of each program;

���� (2)� an explanation of how
grant funds were used to expand or create performing arts education programs;
and

���� (3) a narrative description of
the benefits of the receipt of a grant.

���� b.� Following the conclusion
of the grant program, the commissioner shall submit a report to the Governor,
and the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1),
that contains a summary of the information submitted to the commissioner
pursuant to subsection a. of this section.� The report shall also include the
commissioner�s recommendation on the advisability of the program�s continuation
and expansion to additional school districts in the State.��

���� 4.� This act shall take effect
immediately.�

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires the
Commissioner of Education to develop and administer a four-year Performing Arts
Education Improvement Grant Program.� The purpose of the program is to award
grants to school districts to bolster educational programming and academic
enrichment opportunities in the performing arts.� The commissioner is required
to consult with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts regarding the design
and administration of the grant program.�

���� Pursuant to the bill, a school
district that wants to apply for a grant is required to submit an application,
which is to include certain information related to the current state of
performing arts education in the district and details on how the district plans
to use grant funds to enhance performing arts educational programming.� In
addition, an applicant school district is required to demonstrate in its
application that a majority of the schools in the district have high
concentrations of multilingual learners, students in resource family care,
students from rural areas, or at-risk students.�

���� The bill requires the commissioner
to select 10 school districts to receive grants under the grant program and
determine the amount of each grant award.� The commissioner may award
multi-year grants.� A school district selected for a grant may use the grant
proceeds for purposes including the: purchase of performing arts-related materials,
equipment, and supplies; provision of professional development opportunities
and other training to performing arts teachers currently employed by the school
district; and development of programs to assist students interested in the
performing arts in navigating the transition from elementary school, middle
school, and high school, as well as to potential higher education opportunities
or careers in the performing arts; and the development of tutoring and
extracurricular programs in the performing arts.

���� Finally, the bill requires
school districts receiving grants to annually report certain program
participation information to the commissioner.� At the conclusion of the
four-year grant program, the commissioner is to provide a report to the
Governor and the Legislature that includes a summary of the information
submitted to the commissioner by each participating school district.� This
report is also to include the commissioner�s recommendation on the advisability
of the program�s continuation and expansion to additional school districts in
the State.