The NJSBA Board of Directors met in-person and virtually on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025.  Interim President Cortellino presided over the meeting from the Association’s headquarters in Trenton. Vice Presidents Walker and Connors also participated in the meeting from Association headquarters.  Executive Director Dr. Timothy J. Purnell provided his report to the board from headquarters.

The Board of Directors approved the following items:

  • NJSBA 2024-2025 Annual Audit Report
  • Appointment of Brown and Brown as Health Insurance Broker of Record through the Extraordinary Unspecifiable Services (EUS) Procurement Method
  • Open session minutes of the September 19, 2025 Board of Directors meeting
  • Open session minutes of the October 3, 2025 Board of Directors meeting
  • Closed session minutes of the October 3, 2025 Board of Directors meeting
  • Open session minutes of the October 10, 2025 Board of Directors meeting
  • Closed session minutes of the October 10, 2025 Board of Directors meeting

Executive Director’s Report – Dr. Purnell addressed NJSBA activities, and the progress made in enabling school districts to meet the challenges presented to them ensuring that members continue to benefit from essential training, advocacy, and direct service.

NJSBA Finances – NJSBA’s independent audit for fiscal year 2024-2025 reflects positively on the Association’s business and financial operations and was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors.

Governance I Training Enhancements – The Governance Training online curriculum is currently being redesigned. The following enhancements will be added to all four online Governance courses and will be launched in early 2026.

  • Interactive Modules: Learners will engage through multimedia, scenarios, and activities such as drag-and-drop, flip cards, labeled graphics, timelines, and knowledge checks to promote active learning and real-world application.
  • Scenario Tool (non-real time interaction): Learners will be immersed in real-world situations using branching dialogue, decision points, and feedback paths that build critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills.
  • Custom AI Persona (real time interaction): Will guide new and prospective school board members through ethical dilemmas, fiscal decisions, and governance practices using reflective questions, realistic scenarios, and student-centered feedback—while also evaluating their reasoning using a governance-focused rubric.

Workshop 2025 – Workshop 2025 was an incredible success. Feedback received from member surveys has been overwhelmingly positive. On-site registration, the exhibit floor, and interaction with the Association’s staff all scored 90 or above. The survey indicated that 93% of attendees would recommend Workshop to new school board members.

NJSBA’s 3Rs: Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources – The 3 R’s program will be coupled with the county meeting program during November and December. Newly elected board members can attend the 3Rs: Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources training session before an upcoming County SBA meeting. The County SBA dinner and meeting will immediately follow the training. The program qualifies for an NJSBA Statewide/Regional Credit toward Board Member Academy Certification.

Certification – Changes to board and individual member certification requirements were posted to the NJSBA website on November 1. Changes include expanded core areas to include special education, board members interested in master board member certification must be a certified member for one year to be eligible, and members interested in certified board leader certification must be a master board member for two years to be eligible. Certifications will be presented in person at county meetings in the Fall or Spring.

NJSBA Strategic Planning Refresh – NJSBA is launching a new Strategic Planning Dashboard. Districts that sign up for NJSBA’s Strategic Planning service will have a dashboard that the district can update on their website to track progress and provide updates to their community.

Revamped Superintendent Search Initiative – NJSBA is adding a recruiting element to their search services where field service representatives are partnering with a recruiter to actively recruit candidates and have a larger pool of qualified candidates.

Recognition of Retiring and New Members

The following retiring member was recognized for their service to the New Jersey School Boards Association and the students of New Jersey: Enrico Bolognino, alternate for Hudson County.

The following new alternate was introduced.

New Alternate Member:

  • County Association Leadership Alternate – Julie Kozempel, Washington Township Board of Education

The Board of Directors also received reports from the interim president, vice president for county activities, vice president for finance, and detailed reports from NJSBA staff on advocacy and legislation.

Information items included Association Financials, Legal Case Summary, Member Dues Update 2024-2025, NJSBA Delegate Assembly Update, Nominating Committee Report for the VP of Legislation/Resolutions, Nominating Committee Report for President, Termination of Participation in the SHBP Draft, and written reports from Officers.