Scroll Top

Cunningham/Ruiz Bill Would Make Nj Stars Programs More Economically Sustainable For State

State Senator Sandra B. Cunningham, D-Hudson, speaks with a staffer before the beginning of the Budget Committee meeting on Governor Corzine's toll road plan.
M. Teresa Ruiz News & Releases Sandra Cunningham

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Sandra Bolden Cunningham and Teresa Ruiz, which would make changes to the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship (NJ STARS) and the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship II (NJ STARS II), to keep these programs economically sustainable for the State of New Jersey, was approved today by the Senate Education Committee.

“Considering the dire fiscal straits the State is in, these programs must be changed to ensure that they can continue to provide access to higher education for the State’s best and brightest students,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson, who is a member of the NJ STARS Task Force. “I’ve listened to the testimony of students who have benefitted greatly from the NJ STARS programs, even in the short time since they were created. This is a tough, but necessary decision that we’ve had to make, and these revisions to the current law would allow the State to continue to provide these scholarship programs to hard-working New Jersey students.”

The Senators’ bill, S-2373, would make a number of changes to the NJ STARS and NJ STARS II programs.

NJ STARS would be amended to require qualified students to graduate from high school in the top 15% of their class, instead of the current 20% requirement. Students would also have to demonstrate readiness for college class work by passing a qualifying exam.

Students would be permitted to take a maximum of 18 credits per semester, instead of the current maximum of 15 credits. STARS students in their last semester would be permitted to take fewer than 12 credits.

NJ STARS II would be amended to require qualified students to have graduated from the NJ STARS program with a cumulative GPA of 3.25, instead of the current 3.0 requirement.

Under the bill, the scholarship’s eligibility would be limited to students whose family income is less than $250,000 per year. The amount of each scholarship would be based on a student’s grade point average (GPA). For example, students who graduate from a community college with a GPA of between 3.25 and 3.5 would receive up to $3,000 per semester. Students who graduate with a GPA greater than 3.5 would receive $3,500 per semester.

According to the State Commission on Higher Education, there are currently 5,000 students participating in the STARS programs at community and four year colleges. These scholarships are costing the state $13.8 million per year. The Commission on Higher Education projects that the enrollment will increase to 7,000 students by the year 2010, which would increase State costs to $30 million per year. The bill would save the State between $3 and $5 million per year, the Senators said.

The measure now heads to the full Senate for approval.

###

Related Posts

FIRST ROUND OF HEROIN & PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE MEASURES NOW LAW

The first round of bills championed by the State Senate to combat the prescription drug and heroin abuse epidemic in New Jersey…

05 Feb 2015
Vitale-Whelan Measure To Ensure Development Of Quality NJ Workforce Approved

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Jim Whelan which would allow companies which provide paid internships to qualified interns to claim a tax credit was approved by the Senate yesterday by a vote of 34-6, and received final legislative approval later in the day when the Assembly approved the bill 45-23, with 6 abstentions.

“Internship programs allow students to develop real-world experience in their chosen field, and allow employers to connect with potential new hires,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “However, as a direct result of the global recession, higher unemployment and increased competition for fewer jobs, more and more businesses are turning to unpaid internships, which put middle class students paying their own way through school at a disadvantage. This bill would create a tax incentive to encourage more businesses to establish internship programs benefitting the most students possible.

07 Jan 2011
SENATE RELEASES FIRST WAVE OF BILLS TO ADDRESS STATE’S HEROIN EPIDEMIC

Opiate Abuse Prevention and Treatment Package Hits First Major Milestone TRENTON – The State Senate today approved six bills aimed…

18 Dec 2014
Measure To Ensure Development Of Quality NJ Workforce Advances

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Jim Whelan which would allow companies which provide paid internships to qualified interns to claim a tax credit was approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today by a vote of 9-2.

“Internship programs are invaluable, not only for providing students with real-world experience in their chosen field, but also in connecting employers with potential new hires,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “However, as a result of the global economic crisis and increased job market competition, many businesses are relying more and more on unpaid intern positions, which put middle class students and people who have to support themselves through school at a disadvantage. Through this legislation, we’re creating a tax incentive to encourage businesses to establish internship programs which benefit the greatest number of students possible.”

14 Dec 2010
Cunningham/Ruiz Bill To Make Nj Stars More Economically Sustainable Clears Senate

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Sandra Bolden Cunningham and Teresa Ruiz, which would make changes to the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship (NJ STARS) and the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship II (NJ STARS II) programs, to keep them more economically sustainable for the State of New Jersey, received final legislative approval today by the full Senate, by a vote of 33 to 4.

“This bill is a product of a task force charged with the responsibility of studying the NJ STARS programs, and making recommendations of ways to ensure the programs’ longevity,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson, who was a member of the NJ STARS Task Force. “This bill is definitely not the perfect solution to the problems of funding these scholarships. But it is the first step in the right direction toward amending the NJ STARS programs, and ensuring that they can benefit the best and brightest students from all areas in New Jersey.”

“My main concern for this legislation – and for the STARS programs in general – is that there must be a committed effort to ensure that all of the State’s school districts have equal access to these programs,” said Senator Ruiz, D-Essex and Union, who was a member of the NJ STARS Task Force. “The enactment of this bill would serve as the first of many necessary changes that would transform this well-intended legislation from a good law that helps students, to a real chance at higher education for high-achieving students from all walks of life here in New Jersey.”

15 Dec 2008