The State Board of Education convened for its monthly meeting on Oct. 7, 2026, and discussed the topics below. A recording of the meeting can be found on the New Jersey Department of Education’s (NJDOE) YouTube page.
Report of Student Representative
The State Board’s student representative, Emilia Reynolds, gave her monthly report, which focused on universal literacy screeners and student performance data.
Resolution in Recognition of National Principals Month
The State Board adopted a resolution recognizing October as National Principals Month in New Jersey. The State Board and Commissioner urged all New Jersey students, parents, teachers, school district leaders, and policymakers to join them in recognizing and expressing appreciation for the outstanding service and leadership of the thousands of elementary, middle, and high school principals throughout the state.
Monthly Literacy Update
As part of an ongoing series of conversations on literacy, Commissioner Laux again highlighted a recent announcement regarding screener data upload flexibility that NJDOE anticipates will make it easier for districts to report data from literacy screeners throughout the coming school year. Results from early-year screening will be made available to the State Board in November.
School Funding Outreach Update
Commissioner Laux provided several updates on NJDOE’s Statewide School Funding Outreach project. The School Funding Steering Committee (which includes a representative from the New Jersey School Boards Association) met for the first time on Friday, Sept. 25. The Steering Committee will continue to meet to review New Jersey’s school funding system and help identify opportunities for improvement. Commissioner Laux also highlighted regional forums and community roundtables that the Department is hosting to gather feedback and input from stakeholders in the education community. Those interested in participating can register for events on NJDOE’s website. Finally, Commissioner Laux noted that those interested in receiving more information regarding the outreach effort can sign up for NJDOE’s newsletter on the outreach project website.
Presentation of the 2026-2027 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year
The Department announced that Hannah Olmo, a dance teacher in the Dover School District (Morris County) has been named New Jersey’s State Teacher of the Year for 2026-2027.
Hannah has spent eight years teaching at Dover High School in the Dover Public School District, where she built a four-year, scaffolded dance program centered on equity, creativity, and community.
In her role as State Teacher of the Year, Hannah will work with NJDOE and give presentations to colleagues and stakeholders around the state, speak with aspiring teachers, and visit classrooms throughout New Jersey to promote diversity in the teacher workforce and continual educational improvement. She will also take part in national conferences with other State Teachers of the Year. For more information, see NJDOE’s press release.
NJSBA President Michael A. Jacobs was a member of the selection panel for this year’s Teacher of the Year award.
The Department also recognized the outgoing 2025-2026 State Teacher of the Year, Gillian Ober, from Freehold Intermediate School in the Freehold Borough School District (Monmouth County).
Department Appointments
The State Board approved the following appointments and title changes:
- Dr. Tiffany Neill: Chief Academic Officer/Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Academic Services
- Chris Huber: Chief Legal Officer/Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Legal and External Services
- Cecilia Williams: Director of Communications
- Dr. Joseph Howe: Deputy Commissioner
Certification of School Districts
Since the State Board’s Sept. 2026 meeting, NJDOE conducted eight NJQSAC interim reviews and 15 full reviews. The State Board approved five districts for certification as high performing.
Resolution to Adopt Learning Standards
The State Board approved a resolution to adopt revised New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) in Visual and Performing Arts and World Languages and the New Jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards (NJPTLS). Per the adopted resolution, boards of education must comply with the revised standards no later than September 2028. Complete copies of the revised standards, along with comments from members of the public and responses from NJDOE to those comments, can be found on the State Board’s website.
Discussion of Amendments to Educator Evaluation Regulations
The State Board, for the second time, discussed proposed amendments to N.J.A.C. 6A:10, Educator Effectiveness. Members of the public provided testimony following the meeting. The New Jersey School Boards Association submitted written comments on the proposed readoption.
Chapter 10, which establishes the system of evaluation for teachers, principals, assistant principals, vice principals, and other certificated staff, is scheduled to expire on July 6, 2027. The chapter provides the requirements for the evaluation of teaching staff members’ effectiveness to further the development of a professional corps of state educators and to increase student achievement. According to the NJDOE:
The proposed amendments that accompany this readoption of N.J.A.C. 6A:10 represent a strategic evolution of the Department’s educator evaluation framework. Grounded in the findings of the 2024 Governor’s Task Force on Educator Evaluation and the subsequent 2025 Evaluation Working Group, the Department seeks to modernize the regulatory landscape for educator evaluations. The proposed amendments will shift the rules toward a performance-based system that prioritizes instructional feedback, professional growth, and a more direct connection between evaluation results and professional development planning, thereby leading to growth of the educator.
More information on the proposed amendments is available in NJDOE’s presentation.
The next meeting of the State Board will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026.
