Workshop 2025 Recap

A record number of New Jersey board members, school administrators, school leaders, and others dedicated to advancing the education of children gathered at Workshop 2025 from Oct. 20-23 in Atlantic City. The theme, “Your Ticket to Big Ideas and Bright Futures,” used carnival inspired art to bring the convention to life. In addition to big ideas shared through learning and networking opportunities, the Workshop team integrated engaging features on the exhibit floor, including student performances and art, interactive midway games, an AI photo booth, funhouse mirrors, a stilt walker, and a sock challenge.

“Workshop 2025 was an incredible success. Kudos to Dr. Purnell and Lauren Cuervo for their outstanding leadership in organizing such an engaging and inspiring event. Workshop is a yearly opportunity for the board of education members we serve to reconnect, recharge, and return to their districts energized for another school year in service to students. If you have never attended, make plans to join us next year and experience the energy and inspiration for yourself,” said NJSBA Deputy Director, Dr. Nicholas Diaz.

The New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) teamed up with the New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA) and the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) on the event, which Dr. Timothy Purnell, executive director and CEO of the NJSBA, described as the best Workshop to date.

Hip-Hop Violinist Shares Her Journey and Mission

On Monday, Oct. 20, Grammy award-winning artist, Miri Ben-Ari, the “Hip-Hop Violinist” and music tech entrepreneur, treated participants with a performance and inspirational story of her musical journey, describing her passion for music and collaboration driving her to connect with students around the globe. Together with the Department of Education, Miri has founded the Symphony of Brotherhood, bringing music education programs to schools, inspiring students to explore education through various genres. 

Commissioner Dehmer Delivers Keynote Remarks

Kevin Dehmer, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), delivered a keynote address on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Workshop. Echoing the theme of Workshop, Dehmer’s goal was to share NJDOE’s big ideas for a bright future for education in New Jersey. He emphasized that while change is inevitable – especially ahead of the upcoming gubernatorial election – calm leadership endures, which is helping to build a strong foundation for that future.

Dehmer shared several big ideas that NJDOE is prioritizing this year. The first is preschool expansion, which the department views as a cornerstone of equity. Dehmer noted that preschool funding is now written into law to provide for long-term stability. The state is investing $1.3 billion in preschool education in the current year’s budget, which, since 2018, is a $550 million increase. Dehmer applauded the collective district effort that is helping to build high-quality programs from the ground up across New Jersey.

School funding is always a priority for NJDOE, and Dehmer explained how the department made key updates to funding for the current budget year, including: 1) minimizing year-over-year fluctuations in state aid by capping increases and decreases and by using multi-year averages in local share calculations; 2) modernizing special education aid by switching to funding based on actual enrollment; and 3) tax levy flexibility through the Tax Levy Incentive Aid program. Stakeholder engagement, including outreach meetings held by the department last winter, was a key part of this process.

Dehmer stressed the importance of maintaining high academic standards and highlighted that New Jersey students continue to outperform their peers nationally in English and math. He spoke about the importance of literacy as the foundation of all learning and announced that NJDOE has now awarded over $13 million for the first year of federally funded Comprehensive Literacy State Development grants to improve student literacy throughout the state.  Finally, Dehmer also reminded the audience of the upcoming transition to a new adaptive statewide assessment system.

Switching to student mental health supports, Dehmer stressed the centrality of student wellness to academic success. He referenced NJDOE’s Comprehensive School-Based Mental Health Resource Guide and spoke about some of the trainings and surveys conducted by the department that have been focused on student mental health. He also raised the issue of cell phones in schools, noting that excessive social media usage can lead to declining well-being and flagging the Phone-Free Schools grants recently announced by NJDOE and the Guidance for Schools on Student Use of Internet-Enabled Devices document that the department published in September.

Dehmer emphasized the efforts undertaken by NJDOE to address New Jersey’s teacher shortage, including ways to expand the educator pipeline, removing barriers by adding pathways and endorsements, and updating the educator evaluation process through the work of the New Jersey Educator Evaluation Working Group.

In closing, the commissioner noted how real progress comes from steady, often unseen steps – a reference to the behind-the-scenes work NJDOE has been performing to update its data infrastructure to modernize core systems and provide faster, smarter, and more responsive data tools.

Legislative Panel Addresses Timely Topics

Co-hosted by the Garden State Coalition of Schools (GSCS), the NJSBA Advocacy department led a moderated panel discussion on various educational issues with representatives of the New Jersey State Legislature. This year’s panelists included:

• Senator M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29) – Senate Majority Leader
• Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) – Republican Budget Officer
• Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-15) – Chair, Assembly Education Committee
• Assemblyman Erik Simonsen (R-1) – Member, Assembly Education Committee

NJSBA Interim President Dr. Karen Cortellino opened the session by welcoming attendees and introducing Betsy Ginsburg, Executive Director of GSCS and President of the Glen Ridge Board of Education. Ginsburg thanked the panelists for participating in the panel discussion before turning the podium over to Jonathan Pushman, NJSBA’s Senior Director of Advocacy. Pushman acknowledged the collaborative working relationship between NJSBA and GSCS, not just in coordinating successful legislative panels at Workshop for several years, but also for advocating on behalf of the ongoing achievement of New Jersey’s students.

Pushman kicked off the panel discussion by noting November’s gubernatorial election and asking each panelist what their preferred candidate would bring to the table if elected. Responses varied by panelist and party affiliation, but each panelist raised an ongoing issue within New Jersey’s education system that they believe could be handled best by their preferred gubernatorial candidate.

The discussion then turned to school funding. First, each panelist analyzed the changes made to state aid distribution for the current fiscal year (e.g. special education aid based on actual enrollment, switching to multi-year averages to calculate a district’s local share, and the Tax Levy Incentive Aid program) and discussed whether they should be codified into law moving forward. The panelists generally agreed that any major changes to the school funding formula should wait until a new administration is in place, regardless of who the winner of this year’s election is. Sen. O’Scanlon argued that creating the Tax Levy Incentive Aid program this year was not the right approach to giving districts more budget flexibility, while Sen. Ruiz highlighted several issues including transportation funding, extraordinary special education aid, the district budget timeline, and the way property values are used to calculate a district’s ability to raise local funds. Speaking on transportation funding specifically, Asw. Reynolds-Jackson addressed the issue of districts cutting courtesy busing as a result of tight budgets. Asm. Simonsen stressed the impact of bus driver shortages, arguing that no amount of funding can help districts who do not have a pool of qualified drivers from which to hire.

Looking ahead to the upcoming “lame duck” period following the gubernatorial election, the panelists discussed their expectations for what may happen legislatively. They also touched on the uncertainty at the federal level, between the potential closure of the U.S. Department of Education and possibility of cuts to federal funding. They each stressed the importance of maintaining federal funding and lamented the degree of uncertainty that currently exists. Asw. Reynolds-Jackson pointed out that the state is not in a position to make up a significant funding hole if federal funding is indeed cut.

In the second half of the discussion, the panelists had an opportunity to address some of the more noteworthy topics currently facing New Jersey’s schools and boards of education, including:

• Significant premium increases facing the School Employees’ Health Benefits Program (SEHBP): Each of the panelists recognized the immensity of the problem for districts. Sen. O’Scanlon warned that the problem may get worse before it gets better, while Asw. Reynolds-Jackson argued that hospital cost transparency is a problem and that the plan design committees involved in the state health plans need to be reformed.
• Idea of forced consolidation of school districts: Despite this issue being raised in a recent gubernatorial debate, the panelists downplayed the importance of school district consolidation. Sen. Ruiz argued that consolidation may work for very small districts with few students but cautioned that there needs to be a willingness from those districts to consolidate, and that curriculum issues would need to be sorted before consolidation can work. Sen. O’Scanlon stated that consolidation would not necessarily solve property tax or state budgeting problems and that the feasibility studies currently available to districts have had slow uptake.
• Exclusion of school districts in municipality PILOT agreements: All four legislators agreed that districts should have some involvement in the PILOT agreement process, whether that be receiving a portion of the PILOT revenue being paid to municipalities or having a seat at the negotiating table.
• Cell phone policies in schools: Discussing legislation that may be passed during lame duck, the panelists agreed that cell phones in schools are harming students’ mental health and academic performance, but stopped short of saying the state should enact a bell-to-bell ban. Asm. Simonsen said that the effectiveness of any policy will come down to its implementation at the local level, while Asw. Reynolds-Jackson pushed for age-differentiated policies and Sen. Ruiz and Sen. O’Scanlon referenced parent concerns about having access to their children during emergencies.

To conclude the discussion, Dr. Cortellino asked the legislators about what can be done to tone down political rhetoric at the state, local, and board level. The consensus among the group was that civility is about getting to know each other, disagreeing respectfully, learning by listening, and leading by example.

Joe Theismann Takes the Stage

NJSBA was proud to invite legendary Super Bowl-winning NFL quarterback Joe Theismann to the stage to share stories of leadership, grit, and perseverance. Joe inspired the packed keynote theater, recalling multiple times throughout his career as a professional athlete where he relied on his coaches, teammates, and colleagues to not only motivate him, but provide leadership when he needed it the most; a position he described as pivotal and necessary for our school boards today.

Celebrating Students and Education Leaders

Workshop would not be complete without the stellar performances from New Jersey students, led by our talented educators. Thank you to the Monroe Middle School Falcon Jazz Ensemble, PTHS Choraliers of Pemberton Township High School, Hightstown High School Advanced Choir, West Deptford Middle School Eagletones, Plainfield Academy for the Arts and Advanced Studies Piano Soloists, Arts High School Guitar Quartet “G4force,” and the Ocean City Dance Team. Select student paintings, images, and sculptures were on display courtesy of the NJ Arts Ed (AENJ) Association, highlighting the magnitude of arts in NJ.

A highlight of every Workshop is celebrating the outstanding achievements of our educational leaders; superintendents, business administrators, School Board Member of the Year, Teacher of the Year, and our Unsung Superhero award recipients. Each has demonstrated excellence through their work and dedication as educational leaders. Congratulations to this year’s award recipients. 

Other Workshop Highlights

In addition to getting the chance to watch spectacular student performances throughout Workshop and connect with exhibitors during expo hours, there were a number of other Workshop highlights, including:

• Over 230 training sessions. 
• A Student Film Showcase.  
• Mandated training for board members.
• A panel discussion moderated by NJSBA’s Governmental Relations team with the current members of the New Jersey State Board of Education.
• The STEAM Tank Challenge finals.
• The Unsung Superheroes in Education awards.
• The NJSBA/NJASA/NJASBO Awards Ceremony, which recognized the NJSBA’s School Board Member of the Year, the Regional Superintendents of the Year, the New Jersey State Teacher of the Year, the School Business Administrator of the Year and more.
• The Fall School Law Forum, which capped off Workshop on Thursday.

Workshop Feedback

Feedback from our Workshop event is invaluable. The insight provided from our registrants, attendees, and sponsors is the cornerstone to building next year’s event. 

• “It was a great experience as usual. There were many vendors from a wide array of services/products. Everything was arranged well and easily accessible.” 
• “The mobile app was an awesome addition and made it easy to keep track of courses, schedules, and the exhibit floor map.”  
• “The mandatory Gov III training on Monday was excellent… both presenters were very knowledgeable and presented their information very well.” 
• “Your mobile app is excellent with a great layout. I particularly appreciate the Planner, which allowed me to pin several presentations and ultimately keep only those I actually attended. I also appreciate the survey within each time slot.” 
• “Joe Theisman was a good choice. I really enjoyed his enthusiasm. The Ocean City dancers were awesome.” 
• “The Jitney service was wonderful. The drivers all do a great job!” 
• “The registration process was absolutely amazing! It took me less than a minute from touching the screen to walking away with my badge in hand! Outstanding!” 
• “Workshop gets better every year. Kudos to the NJSBA staff.” 

Save the dates for next year’s Workshop: Oct. 19 – Oct 22. Stay connected: follow NJSBA on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.