Citing the meaningful contributions that local board of education members and charter school and renaissance school project board of trustee members make to public education and to the quality of life in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy has proclaimed January 2026 as School Board Recognition Month in New Jersey.

 New Jersey’s approximately 5,000 local board of education members and charter school and renaissance school project board of trustee members devote countless hours, without remuneration, to the oversight of public school operations, including finances, policy, curriculum, and staffing.

According to the governor’s proclamation, “New Jersey’s local boards of education and boards of trustees endeavor to meet the challenges facing public schools and to help students attain the education necessary to excel in college and in the workplace and to enable them to compete in a global economy.”

 “By making meaningful contributions to public education, the dedicated members of local school boards and boards of trustees have greatly enhanced the quality of life in our state,” the governor’s proclamation stated.

 “The state’s local boards of education and boards of trustees set the goals and provide oversight for the entire school district and school,” explained Michael Jacobs, president of the New Jersey School Boards Association. “The hard work and dedication of school boards and boards of trustees have a direct impact on the classroom, and their efforts have helped make New Jersey’s public schools a national leader in student achievement.” 

 “No other public official, elected or appointed, has a greater impact on the lives of children than the local school board member and charter school trustee,” said Dr. Timothy Purnell, NJSBA executive director. “Boards of education and boards of trustees in New Jersey continue to meet the challenges in in providing instruction to students. We thank the governor for recognizing the dedication of our state’s local school board members and boards of trustees, and the central role that they play in the governance of public education.”

 The New Jersey School Boards Association initiated the state’s first School Board Recognition Month in 2002 to honor the dedicated local school board members and boards of trustees who oversee the education of the state’s nearly 1.3 million public school students.

January 2026 is the 24th annual School Board Recognition Month in New Jersey, a time to raise public awareness of the role and responsibilities of local boards of education and to thank your community’s school board members for their efforts.

The New Jersey State Board of Education will recognize the hard work and dedication of school board members at its meeting on Jan. 7, 2026, by presenting a resolution to the leadership of the School Boards Association.

The New Jersey School Boards Association has prepared items to help public bodies, organizations and local school districts recognize the role of the boards of education and the contributions of their communities’ school board members. Click HERE to access these items.

Feel free to use your own ideas to celebrate School Board Recognition Month, and contact us to let us know about them.