4. a. The Commissioner of Education may award a grant consistent with the provisions of this section for the purposes of allowing an eligible retired teacher or eligible county college faculty member to receive remuneration to teach science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) classes or other STEM subject or area at a nonpublic school.
b. In accordance with the provisions of this section, subject to available appropriations, and in compliance with section 1 of P.L.1987, c.7 (C.52:14-34.4), the Commissioner of Education shall award funding as a grant or grants to one or more nonprofit organizations for the purpose of allowing eligible retired teachers and eligible county college faculty members to teach STEM classes in nonpublic schools. Such organization or organizations shall review applications submitted by individuals for participation as an eligible retired teacher or eligible college county faculty members. A nonprofit organization awarded a grant pursuant to this subsection shall provide funding to eligible retired teachers and eligible county college faculty members in accordance with the provisions of subsection d. of this section.
c. The commissioner shall establish eligibility criteria and program requirements. Only secular instruction shall be provided pursuant to participation in the program. To the maximum extent possible, the Commissioner of Education shall select one or more nonprofit organizations that are able to administer the program across the northern, central, and southern regions of the State.
d. A participating eligible retired teacher or eligible county college faculty member shall receive grants in an amount equal to the Statewide average teacher salary in the prior school year calculated on a per-hour basis multiplied by the number of hours the teacher will teach STEM classes at a nonpublic school under the program multiplied by 1.25.
e. The grant program shall not infringe upon the collective bargaining agreement between the majority representative of the collective negotiations unit in which a participating eligible county college faculty member is a member and the county college for which the eligible county college faculty member is employed.
f. Any appropriation for the grant program made in a fiscal year that is not expended in that fiscal year shall be available to be used for the same purpose in the subsequent fiscal years.
g. Notwithstanding the provisions of N.J.S.18A:66-53.2 or any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the cancellation, reenrollment, and additional retirement allowance provisions of subsection a. of N.J.S.18A:66-53.2 or any other similar provision of law related to other retirement systems or programs shall not apply to a former member of the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund who is a teacher and who, after having been granted a retirement allowance, becomes employed for the purposes of the grant program established pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2019, c.256 (C.18A:6-138), except that the cancellation, reenrollment, and additional retirement allowance provisions shall apply if the former member becomes employed within 180 days with the employer from which the member retired. The former member’s retirement shall have been a bona fide retirement and any employment or reemployment under this section shall not be prearranged before retirement. This subsection shall be effective if the qualified status of the retirement system under federal law can be maintained upon its application, and such modifications to the system as may be available shall be made to allow for its application.