At its Jan. 17 meeting, the New Jersey State Board of Education marked School Board Recognition Month by approving a resolution that commends the hard work and dedication of the state’s approximately 5,000 nonpartisan volunteer board members and charter school and renaissance school trustees.
“New Jersey’s locally elected and appointed boards of education play a vital role in ensuring that their local school districts meet state standards and adhere to state and federal education statute and regulations, with the goal of preparing all students for college and the workplace, thereby enabling them to compete in a global economy,” the State Board’s resolution states. “Local boards of education, in conjunction with state education officials and local educators, have built a foundation of success that has led to New Jersey’s status as a leader in student achievement, as evidenced by the National Assessment of Educational Progress scores.”
Karen Cortellino, M.D., president of the New Jersey School Boards Association, accepted the resolution and thanked the State Board for recognizing the hard work and commitment of local boards of education. “Like the State Board of Education, New Jersey’s local school boards make critical decisions affecting the education of approximately 1.4 million public school students,” she noted.
Acting Commissioner of Education Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan, who served on the Montclair Board of Education, also had high praise for the New Jersey School Boards Association. “Having served in this role, I have had the good fortune to meet with my colleagues nationally – and we are light years ahead of many states with our organization of board members in our state and the level of training and professional assistance and guidance and mentoring that is provided,” she said. “We continue to set the bar nationally … I wish you continued success.”
Allen McMillan has announced her retirement at the end of January, and Wednesday’s meeting was her last State Board meeting.
School Board Recognition Month January 2024 is the 23rd 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 school board members for their efforts.
NJSBA has prepared resources 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.