The New Jersey School Boards Association’s Legislative Committee met virtually on Saturday, Sept. 27, for its first meeting of the 2025-2026 year. The committee heard from two guest speakers, Assemblyman Al Barlas, and Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips, both from the 40th legislative district; received a legislative update from NJSBA’s Advocacy department; and reviewed the association’s Legislative Advocacy Agenda.
Tammeisha Smith and Executive Director/CEO Dr. Timothy Purnell opened the meeting by welcoming attendees and thanking committee members for their commitment to public education advocacy. Smith announced new members of the committee and acknowledged departing members for their contributions.
Jonathan Pushman, NJSBA’s senior director of advocacy, then led a panel discussion with Assemblymen Barlas and DePhillips. Barlas was elected to the Legislature in 2024 following years as a legislative staff member in several offices. He currently sits on the Assembly Budget, Assembly Community Development and Women’s Affairs, and Assembly Labor committees. DePhillips was first elected to the Legislature in 2018 and has been the Minority Conference Leader in the Assembly since 2024. He is a member of the Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, and the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee. DePhillips participated in municipal government prior to his time in the Legislature, including a stint as mayor of Wyckoff Township.
The Assemblymen discussed their legislative priorities and positions on public education at length, mainly focusing on improvements that the Legislature can make to both school funding and the budgeting process. As members of the minority party, they highlighted issues with the timing and transparency of the state budget process, and reflected on opportunities to reprioritize state funding so that schools have what they need to serve the state’s students. They deliberated on the pros and cons of relaxing the two percent tax levy cap, and the rising costs of special education and health care for districts. They also touched on concerns over municipal PILOT agreements, arguing that school districts should be able to share in some of the revenue generated from these agreements.
The conversation then turned to an array of other topics, including the importance of civility in today’s political discourse; ongoing teacher shortages and the need to increase teachers’ salaries; the impact of COVID-19 on student learning and mental health; school district consolidation; federal funding cuts; and the upcoming gubernatorial election.
Advocacy Update
Following the panel discussion, Harrison Silver, NJSBA’s legislative advocate, and John Burns, NJSBA’s senior legislative and policy counsel, provided a brief overview of recent legislative activity. Topics included:
- Key highlights from the state’s fiscal year 2026 budget.
- Laws that have recently been enacted, including those concerning expanding early childhood education (S-3910/A-5717), public notice reform (S-4654/A-5878), IEP meeting guidelines (A-5492/S-3982), and labor movement instruction (A-1682/S-1054).
- Noteworthy bill movement, including those concerning SFRA reform (S-3917 and A-5966), pension re-enrollment changes (A-1675/S-2078), and other instructional mandates (S-2335/S-3096/A-3871 and S-2818).
- Issues on the horizon, including the upcoming gubernatorial and Assembly elections, and the issue of cell phones in schools, highlighting recent guidance issued by the New Jersey Department of Education and recommendations released by the New Jersey Commission on the Effects of Social Media Usage on Adolescents.
The Advocacy department reminded committee members that more information about recent legislative activity can be found in archived editions of School Board Notes; the quarterly Capitol Watch newsletter; and an in-depth webinar recorded on July 30, which can be found on NJSBA’s YouTube page.
Finally, members were invited to attend two panels at NJSBA’s Workshop 2025 in Atlantic City. The Legislative Panel will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21, and panelists will include Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-29), Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-11), Asw. Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-15), and Asm. Erik Simonsen (R-1). The State Board of Education Panel will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22. Several members of the State Board – including this year’s Student Representative – will participate in the panel discussion.
Review of Legislative Advocacy Agenda
Before wrapping up the meeting, Jonathan Pushman provided a comprehensive update on NJSBA’s 2024-2025 Legislative Advocacy Agenda. Pursuant to NJSBA’s bylaws, a responsibility of the Legislative Committee is to adopt a legislative agenda and advocacy action plan for each legislative session, to be recommended to the Board of Directors for adoption. As the current legislative session nears its end, the committee is beginning the process of reviewing the current agenda in order to make updates ahead of the 2026-2027 legislative session. Jonathan Pushman highlighted the progress made in each of the six key advocacy areas outlined in the agenda, including student achievement, school funding and finance, special education, staffing and labor relations, student health and well-being, and facilities and construction. He emphasized the importance of the advocacy that work committee members do in their own communities and on behalf of boards across the state, and encouraged feedback on the agenda as NJSBA staff prepares to make draft updates ahead of the committee’s next meeting in December.
To view the full text of any of the bills summarized above, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
