Judge Mary Jacobsen dismissed a lawsuit brought by six Newark parents seeking to overturn New Jersey’s teacher seniority law earlier this week. Plaintiffs challenging the “last in, first out” (LIFO) rule claiming the law enables ineffective […]
NJEA Elects New Slate of Officers
Marie Blistan, current vice president of the New Jersey Education Association, has been elected its new president, a role she will assume in September. A special education teacher from Gloucester County, Blistan has been an officer with […]
Organizations Issue Open Letters to Legislature On School Funding
Advocates issued several ‘open letters’ to lawmakers this week around the ongoing school funding issue. The first letter, signed by a number of organizations, asked the Legislature to redistribute $51 million in charter school […]
Acting Commissioner Harrington Makes First Appearance Before Budget Hearing April 24
Acting Commissioner Kimberley Harrington appeared before the Assembly Budget Committee April 24. Harrington’s appearance came replete with robust questioning by lawmakers on school funding, the Department’s role in determining aid and the Department’s views […]
Teachers More Diverse Group Today Than 25 Years Ago
The U.S. teaching force has become more diverse in recent decades, according to a new report released earlier this week by the National Center for Education Statistics. Although minority teachers are still underrepresented, the percentage of […]
NJDOE Receives 16 New Charter Applications
The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) received 16 requests to open new charter schools during its latest round of applications. The latest round of charter school applicants will be notified in May if […]
State Board Gets First Glance At NJQSAC, Reviews HIB Amendment, Approves $3.3M In Emergency Aid for EIRC
The State Board of Education got a first glimpse of proposed changes to NJQSAC and set a calendar for approval of changes to current code as it relates to investigation of harassment intimidation and […]
NJDOE Submits ESSA Plan to Feds
The New Jersey Department of Education submitted its school accountability plan, in compliance with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), for review by the U.S. education department on April 3. New Jersey was […]
NJDOE Tells State Board $10M In Lead Testing May Not Be Enough
The $10 million in state funds set aside to reimburse school districts for testing their water for lead may not be enough to fully cover testing statewide. “We may or may not have enough […]
Proposed Budget Doubles Down On State Health Benefits Savings
For the second year in a row, the Governor’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2018 assumes tens of millions of dollars in “savings” through reforms to the state health plans for public workers and […]