Yesterday, Governor Phil Murphy delivered his 2025 State of the State Address at the State House in Trenton, his seventh since taking office. The Governor emphasized several key priorities and steps the Administration will be taking in the upcoming year:

Securing New Jersey’s Reputation as the Best State to Raise a Family 

• Providing 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave to every state worker with the ultimate goal of establishing paid family leave as a new norm for every worker, in every sector, in New Jersey;
• Continuing on the path toward free, universal pre-K and ensuring every school district in New Jersey offers free, full-day kindergarten ensure that every child has access to New Jersey’s nation-leading public education system;
• Directing school districts to adopt policies that ban cell phones from K-12 classrooms and help establish phone-free schools to address the youth mental health crisis and improve learning outcomes;

Strengthening New Jersey’s Future

Establishing same-day voter registration and allowing 16-17-year-olds to vote in local school board elections to expand voting rights; 

Meeting the State’s obligations to the people of New Jersey by making the full payment into New Jersey’s pension system for four straight years and restoring full funding for public education, public transit, and other public priorities;

For the Governor’s full address as prepared for delivery, click here.

Deadline Nears for Nomination of 2025-2026 NJASA Officers

The Nominating Committee shall be composed of the Immediate Past-President, the three other most Immediate Past-Presidents who are still active members of the Association, and five members selected from the field by the Association President, with due regard for geographic and minority group representation.

The Committee will render its report to the NJASA Executive Director no later than February 10th. Such report shall be communicated to the NJASA membership no later than February 15th.

Online Registration will be Active thru 4pm on Friday, January 17, 2025.

Onsite Registration will be Available for a $50.00 Up-Charge. 

NJASA Legal Department Research Services 

On September 3, 2024, the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) amendments became effective. Part One of this Administrative Guide provided a brief overview of the new changes and discussed definitions of significance for school officials. Part Two provided an analysis of the exemption from disclosure for advisory, consultative, and deliberative material and discussed OPRA’s changes for requests for email and text messages. Part Three discussed exemptions for security-related information and for the attorney-client privilege. This fourth part continues the discussion about OPRA and focuses on the exemption of personnel (and pension) records to OPRA and the exemptions for records related to investigations.

School Funding Reform Act Outreach

The New Jersey Department of Education is requesting public comments about the State’s school funding law. Members of the public are invited to attend one of four regional public hearings to be held in Mercer, Camden, and Somerset Counties. Department officials will be present at each hearing to receive comments and listen to testimony. Anyone who would like to speak should register prior to the date of the hearing. Please note that speaking time may be limited.

Individuals who are not able to attend in person are invited to submit written comments using the comment form. All comments must be received by January 17, 2025 for consideration.

Change in September 2025 Special Election Date

The statutory date for the 2025-2026 September special election is September 30, 2025, which falls within 45 days of the general election. In examining possible alternate dates, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) has taken into consideration all religious observances. The religious holiday of Rosh Hashanah is September 23, 2025. The special election date for September 2025 has therefore been moved two weeks earlier to September 16, 2025, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:60-2, which allows for changing special election dates which fall within 45 days of the general election and when it coincides with a period of religious observance.

Op-Ed: Why It’s Vital to Overhaul NJ’s School Funding Formula

NJSpotlight January 2, 2025

New Jersey’s school funding formula, the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA), faces significant challenges. With over 600 school districts across the state, it’s no surprise that there are just as many interpretations and iterations of how the SFRA should address each district’s individual needs.

Join NJASA and NJPSA/FEA at the

Women's Leadership Conference 2025