Citing New Jersey’s record of excellence and achievement in public education, Gov. Phil Murphy has proclaimed January 2019 as School Board Recognition Month in New Jersey.
“Local boards of education have contributed to New Jersey being among the leading states in academic achievement, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and by district participation and student achievement in the Advanced Placement and SAT assessments,” the governor said in his proclamation. He recognized the “countless hours, without remuneration” spent by nearly 5,000 local board of education members.
“New Jersey’s local boards of education endeavor to meet the challenges facing public schools and help students attain the education necessary for postsecondary success so they may compete in a global economy,” the governor said in his Jan. 11 proclamation.
“Local boards of education set the policies and goals that guide the entire school district,” explained Dan Sinclair, president of the New Jersey School Boards Association. “The work of New Jersey’s school board members has a direct and positive impact on the classroom. Their dedication has helped to make our state a 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,” said Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, NJSBA executive director. “We thank the governor for recognizing the dedication of our state’s local school board members and the central role that they play in the governance of public education.”
The NJSBA initiated the state’s first School Board Recognition Month in 2002 to honor the dedicated local school board members who oversee the education of the state’s nearly 1.4 million public school students. Gov. Murphy’s proclamation can be accessed online, and information and resources for School Board Recognition Month in New Jersey are also available.