New Jersey allocates funds for STEM in private schools
New Jersey’s recently passed $58.78 billion budget for fiscal 2026 includes more than $3 million to fund STEM education in nonpublic schools.
The grant program, which the state established in 2019, pays New Jersey public school teachers to teach science, technology, engineering, and math classes at nonpublic schools. The goals are to incentivize teachers to become qualified in STEM subjects; to attract new entrants to teaching; to help public and nonpublic schools find qualified STEM educators; and to improve statewide access to STEM education to meet the workforce demands of New Jersey’s economy.
The original law allocated $5 million to cover the cost of the initiative. A few hundred thousand dollars of that amount remains, and the 2026 state budget allocates another $3 million to the program.
Katie Katz of Teaneck, the executive director of Teach NJ, sees the program as historic. “There’s never been anything like this, not just in New Jersey, but in any state in the country,” Ms. Katz said. “This type of public-nonpublic partnership doesn’t exist.”
Teach NJ advocates for “stronger, safer, more accessible Jewish education,” Ms. Katz said, and along with other organizations the group pressed for the program and the additional funding. Ms. Katz sees the result as successful and meeting a demand. The program went into effect in the 2020-2021 school year; four nonpublic schools and six teachers participated. For the upcoming 2025-26 school year, 38 schools and 138 teachers are expected to take advantage of the initiative. Applications for the 2026-27 school year will open in the fall.
Ms. Katz sees the financial aspect as only one of the program’s benefits. “We’re seeing the impact that it’s had on the schools not just on a budget level, but really in terms of quality,” she said. “There are schools that are using it to teach their core math and science classes.” For other schools, it’s an opportunity to “find new and innovative ways to be able to offer STEM classes. That could be through electives like robotics, engineering, or food science.” It helps schools “bolster and enhance” their programs despite a shortage of STEM teachers in the state.
Schools have also used the program to access qualified teachers to coach academic teams, Ms. Katz continued. Some of those teams have repeatedly won awards at statewide and national competitions. “It’s really thrilling to see how the program has allowed schools to fill these critical teaching roles, to expand learning opportunities for students, and to give students the opportunity to achieve in the STEM areas at the highest level,” she said. “One school’s director of technology said that ‘Teach NJ has allowed us to dream bigger for our STEM program’ and to me, that says it all.”
To participate in the program, schools have to find public-school teachers who want to teach additional classes and coordinate schedules with those teachers so they do not interfere with their public-school hours. Teach NJ helps nonpublic schools identify qualified public-school teachers who want to participate. “We want to see any school be able to take advantage of this and participate,” Ms. Katz said. “So we’ve been helping schools of all backgrounds access the program — Jewish, Catholic, Islamic, Christian, and independent.”
Many local schools benefit from the grants. They include Mesivta of Clifton; Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva in Edison; Jewish Educational Center in Elizabeth; Moriah School in Englewood; Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy and Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston; Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County in New Milford; the Frisch School, Yavneh Academy, and Yeshivat Noam in Paramus; YBH, Yeshiva Keren Hatorah, and Yeshiva Ktana in Passaic; Ohr Yisroel of Ridgewood; Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey in River Edge; and Heichal HaTorah, Maayanot Yeshiva High School, Torah Academy of Bergen County, and Yeshivat He’Atid in Teaneck.
Ms. Katz stressed that the funding for the program does not reduce state financial support for public schools. “It comes from the general New Jersey budget, not from the public education budget,” she said. “And the program is only possible” because it functions as a partnership with the public schools. “It benefits the public school teachers and we work with public school districts. I think that for anyone who’s participated in this program, it’s really been a tremendously successful partnership all around. It’s a true testament to what happens when you build creative partnerships in new ways.”
She calls the grant program a win-win situation. “It’s really exciting to be able to see a win for public school teachers,” who are able to use the program to supplement their salaries. “It’s a win for the public schools and a win for the nonpublic schools,” she said.
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