Video: Keep the Promise

We know what we need to do to protect our pension fund - make sure legislators keep the promise to public school employees. But how did we get here? Watch this video to learn more. Visit our Pensions & Benefits page to take action.

A billion here or a billion there?

Gov. Christie has indicated that his plan for New Jersey's public schools includes cuts, cuts and more cuts. In this month's Report on Education, NJEA president Barbara Keshishian points out there is a smarter way to move forward.

Teacher of the Year says no to merit pay

Maryann Woods-Murphy, New Jersey’s current Teacher of the Year, penned a compelling argument against merit pay in a Star-Ledger editorial. “We don’t need another reform gimmick. We just need the support and resources to do the job we love,” wrote Woods-Murphy.

Tell the Assembly to vote ‘NO’
On Feb. 22, the New Jersey State Senate voted unanimously on a package of three bills aimed at reducing public employees’ pensions and benefits.

S-2, S-3, and S-4 each passed by a 36-0 vote (Sens. Baroni, Rice, and Turner did not vote; Sen. Allen was not present). For more information on these bills, click here.

There was almost no serious deliberation or discussion of the impact these bills – introduced only 14 days ago – would have on public employees, or on the state budget.

At its hearing last week, the Senate State Government Committee did not ask one question of any of the dozens of individuals who testified, including NJEA President Barbara Keshishian.

The battle now moves to the State Assembly. NJEA is directing members to immediately reach out to their Assembly members and tell them to oppose these bills.

Now that the State Senate has passed S-2, S-3, and S-4, the battle moves to the Assembly. NJEA has planned lobby days for March 11 and 15 and asks members to consider coming to Trenton on one or more of those days to meet with Assembly members about this legislation.  More>>

Keshishian calls for truth about pension shortfall
NJEA President Barbara Keshishian today demanded that Governor Christie and members of the Legislature tell New Jerseyans the truth about why the state’s pension funds are underfunded. “It’s time to stop intentionally misleading the public,” said Keshishian. “Governor Christie and legislators are misleading the public in order to cover up the ugly truth: that the state is responsible for this mess, by refusing to comply with its legal obligation to fund the pension system.  More>>

NJEA launches radio blitz

NJEA is fighting back against attacks on public education. A new 60-second radio ad is on stations statewide, taking Gov. Christie to task for cutting education spending while giving a $1 billion tax break to the wealthiest New Jerseyans.

The Christie Administration released a number of reports from its transition team. Of greatest interest to our members were two reports. One dealt with pensions and benefits. The other dealt with a number of hot-button issues, from collective bargaining to tenure to vouchers, and beyond.  More>>

NJEA President Barbara Keshishian issued the following statement in response to Gov. Christie’s order to cut state education aid by $475 million and to refuse any contributions to the state’s pension funds: NJEA understands this crisis is real, and that the budget must be balanced. The governor’s proposal to cut state education aid would not be advisable under normal circumstances. These are not normal circumstances, but like many of the band-aids and gimmicks of prior years that he justifiably condemns, his order could have serious unintended consequences for the future of our public schools.  More>>

A message to members from NJEA President
Barbara Keshishian
NJEA members need to understand what S-3, the proposed legislation affecting health benefits and S-4, the proposed legislation affecting sick leave buyouts and disability, actually mean – and what they don’t mean. Thanks to shoddy reporting in the press, some NJEA members have concluded that these bills would impact them as current employees. For the most part, they do not. > Q and A on all bills   More>>

NJEA and the New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning are once again proud sponsors of the Technology Integration Showcase in High Tech Hall at the 2010 NJEA Convention. NJEA members from across the state will present one-on-one demonstrations of technology used in their classrooms. We are looking for tech-savvy NJEA members to be presenters in the Technology Integration Showcase.   More>>

March Web Giveaway

NJEA members can register to win all of the following prizes: a free suite at Sun National Bank Center, $100 credit at Contact Fill, and a family four pack to Madame Tussauds New York by entering the Member Benefits Web Giveaway. No purchase is necessary to enter.

NJEA seeks apprentices

Are you looking for a new challenge? Would you like to develop skills to prepare for an association leadership role? Have you thought about what it would be like to join the NJEA staff? Consider applying to be part of the 2010-11 NJEA Bolivar L. Graham Practicing Apprentice Program. Log in for more information and application. Deadline is April 16.

An Oct. 1 report released from the Center on Education Policy shows that the achievement gap continues to shrink in New Jersey's schools. To build on New Jersey’s success, NJEA Families and Schools Together Work for Children (NJEA FAST) will present “Strategies for Closing Achievement Gaps” on May 8 at NJEA Headquarters in Trenton.  More>>

The N.J. Department of Education (DOE) has launched a new website -- http://njcccs.org -- to assist with the implementation of the newly revised Core Curriculum Content Standards (CCCS).   More>>

Support NJ Public Television

On Thursday Feb. 25 from 8-9:30 p.m. NJEA members will participate in the kickoff of the NJN fundraising campaign. Tune in to NJN that night to support New Jersey’s only public television station that airs important programs like Classroom Close-up, NJ.

Register online for NJEA tech conferences

The NJEA Technology Integration Conference will be held on April 24, 2010 at the Princeton Wyndham. Workshops include Google Documents, Google Geo Applications, and Google tools for collaboration. This conference is designed for experienced users. Registration deadline is March 31, 2010. Log in to register

Attend NJEA's Urban Education Best Practices Symposium

Because NJEA is committed to eliminating the achievement gap, the Association will hold its first Urban Education Best Practices Symposium on Saturday, April 17. The symposium will highlight instructional best practices from our urban and urban-like districts. These strategies have had a positive impact on increasing student achievement and can be used in any New Jersey classroom. More >>

NJ-ALPHA offers China Study Tour

The New Jersey Alliance for Learning & Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (NJ-ALPHA) will sponsor two to three New Jersey high school and college educators for a China Study Tour July 28-Aug. 11, 2010. For more information and an application, visit www.nj-alpha.org. Application deadline is March 25.

Come see the New Jersey Devils take on the Buffalo Sabres Sunday, April 11. The game starts at 5 pm at the Prudential Center. For this game, you’ll save big on tickets with a special NJEA discount!   More>>

As local boards of education address their “Race to the Top” grant applications, NJEA has developed resources to help local education associations, community members, parents, and taxpayers analyze how the grant – and its emphasis on standardized testing – will affect their students and schools.  More>>

The New Jersey Hall of Fame is calling for entries to its fourth annual essay contest which is open to all New Jersey students in grades 4 through 12. Students are asked to nominate potential inductees – living or dead – to the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Nominations must be postmarked by April 1.  More>>

NJEA and the Trenton Thunder are pleased to offer free school assembly programs to NJEA members. These programs are offered – on a first-come, first-served basis – to public schools up to 50 miles from Mercer County Waterfront Park from October 1 through March 15.  More>>

New Jersey’s public schools are succeeding and our students are achieving great things, but we need your help to maintain our successes.  More>>

NJEA and Radio Disney AM 640 present Read Across New Jersey, a reading contest for all Radio Disney 640 AM listeners who attend a public school in New Jersey. The school that reads the most books per student will be selected to win a Radio Disney Road Crew Appearance with a special Disney guest on May 20, 2010!  More>>