In anticipation of a teacher shortage, the Senate endorses a bill allowing retired teachers to go back to work for two years while collecting their pension.
An earlier bill had parents decide if kids should stay back due to the pandemic. Now there would be a consultation, with superintendents making final call.
Rutgers' National Institute for Early Education Research says states need to plan now for students who'll return to class after skipping a year of preschool.
Frequent topics at a Senate hearing on the Department of Education budget included school reopenings, spending of federal aid and the delayed assessments.
New Jersey's school construction program has money to complete 11 existing projects by 2025, but nothing more. Reauthorization talks seem to have stalled.
Two National Education publications rank New Jersey #1 in Public Education in the country but many believe there is still room for improvement and that belief has sparked legislation at the Statehouse.
A former Long Branch elementary school teacher remains in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold Township pending a detention hearing.
Summer school and the option to choose to repeat a grade are among the possibilities being considered in the Legislature after two years of disruptions.