1. Now That I’m President, What Do I Do? (offered Sessions I & II)
PART 2 – 10/2-3 – 1½ Day Workshop
For: Newly elected presidents
The job of an effective local president is the most challenging you’ll ever face in your association. This workshop is designed to help newly elected presidents identify those challenges, develop strategies to deal with them, and build a strong, effective association. We will discuss advocacy topics so you leave empowered and with all the information you need to lead your association. This workshop is the first training in an optional yearlong New Presidents Academy – more information will be shared at SLC.
This training begins at 1:15 p.m. prior to the start of the conference. Participants should plan to arrive by 12:45 p.m.
Since an additional overnight occurs in October, an extra fee of $150 will be applied at registration.
2. Vital Skills for Local Leaders (offered Sessions I & II)
For: Local association presidents and leaders
This workshop is designed to include not only presidents but members of your executive committee, as well. As local leaders one of the most vital roles you play is that of organizer. In this workshop, you will learn skills from the presenters as well as from each other that will enhance your organizing skills to make your association not only survive but thrive! With the lens focused on membership, advocacy, and communication, you will work to create an organizing plan to implement in your association.
3. Leadership Development 101 – A Beginner’s Guide for Association Leaders (offered Session II only)
For: All members
In this workshop, we will explore principles of effective leadership and team building, effective communication and listening skills, time and stress management, facilitation skills for leaders, the importance of change management, and leadership scenarios for association leaders.
4. Basic Treasurer’s Training (offered Sessions I & II)
For: Local treasurers
In this workshop, you will learn the ABCs of being a local treasurer, including the fiduciary responsibilities of this important association role. We will cover building a budget and fiscal issues, implementing time management tools, taking the fear out of treasury audits and payroll, and laying the foundation for a computerized treasury. Lastly, we will go over the benefits of the Local Association Financial Assistance Program (LAFAP) form and learn how to complete a LAFAP through our online system.
5. Advanced Treasurer’s Training (offered Session II only)
For: Prerequisite: Treasurers who have completed Basic Treasurer’s Training
This course is designed for the experienced treasurer interested in using Quicken® to maintain the association’s books and conform to Local Association Financial Assistance Program (LAFAP) reporting requirements.
Enrollment limited to 18 participants (one per local). Computers will be provided.
6. Grievance Processing I – Grieve, Don’t Gripe (offered Sessions I & II)
For: Any member who is new to grievance processing (offered Sessions I & II)
This workshop will introduce participants to the basic vocabulary, essential tools, complete process, and changing laws of grievance work from the local association level through court appeals. Problem-solving ideas and strategies will be reviewed through case studies illustrating specific solutions to real problems. Members will be asked to determine whether gripes are grievable or should be handled in other ways.
Participants need to bring a copy of their collective bargaining agreement.
7. Grievance Processing II (offered Session I only)
Prerequisite: Grievance Processing I workshop and/or knowledge in processing grievances
Participants will learn the following grievance processing concepts: past practice, clear versus ambiguous contract language, just-cause standards, management rights, maintenance of benefits, and duty of fair representation. Participants also will be trained on the differences between grievance, an unfair labor practice, a PERC hearing, or a commissioner’s case.
8. Grievance Processing III (offered Session II only)
Prerequisite: Grievance Processing II workshop and/or experience in processing grievances
Learn the skills needed for the local association to present grievances effectively at the board of education level, and learn why such presentations are necessary. Case studies and role playing will be utilized in group activities in order for participants to present a grievance to a board of education. Participants will write and present multiple grievances before simulated boards and make decisions on whether to settle or go to arbitration. This workshop is intended for members currently serving or training to be on a grievance committee.
9. Legal Issues Affecting School Employees (offered Sessions I & II)
For: All members
This workshop is an in-depth review of pertinent provisions of school and labor laws and administrative and legal decisions affecting members. We will examine the impact of school and labor laws on employment, analyze techniques for proper forum selection for dealing with disputes (i.e., role of PERC, the commissioner of education, courts, and agencies), review decisional law and legislative enactments, recognize statute applications/interpretations through case-by-case determination, and examine, analyze, and review association roles.
10. PERC Law (offered Sessions I & II)
For: Negotiators, grievance committee representatives, and other association leaders
To assist in negotiations and representation, this workshop will focus on unfair labor practices and court cases outlining negotiability/arbitrability disputes including discipline, transfers, extracurricular assignments, and duty of fair representation. What constitutes past practice, just cause, and relief from unilateral changes in working conditions will be explored in depth.
11. When Life Throws You Curveballs (offered Sessions I & II)
For: All members
This workshop is designed to educate you on what happens when unexpected things happen in life. Whether it is birth, death, accident, trauma, etc., members will learn what they need to know for themselves and their family members through the Division of Pension & Benefits, NEA/NJEA Member Benefits Division, and collective bargaining. Previously titled “Navigating Leaves of Absence”
12. AR – Key to a Strong Organization (offered Sessions I & II)
For: Association representatives; open to all members
Learn the fundamentals and develop skills to become an association advocate. This program concentrates on contract enforcement, basic school law, member benefits, membership promotion, emerging instructional issues, legislative action, and your state and national association.
13. Basic Collective Bargaining (offered Sessions I & II)
For: New and inexperienced negotiators
Master the essential phases of bargaining with particular emphasis on the role of laws in the negotiations process; organization of and preparation for negotiations; negotiations tactics and techniques; the use of mathematics in negotiations; the 2010 bargaining law; impasse resolution including mediation, fact-finding, and superconciliation; job actions and communication; and ratification.
14. Advanced Collective Bargaining (offered Sessions I & II)
For: Experienced negotiators who have completed Basic Collective Bargaining or members who have actively participated in the bargaining process as a member of a team
Advanced Collective Bargaining workshop topics include hot topics at the table, how to get to where we want to go, salary guides (alternative methods of distribution), what to do when the going gets tough, legislation affecting bargaining, and bargaining health benefits.
15. Basic Salary Guides (offered Session I only)
For: New local negotiators preparing for successful salary negotiations
Methods of costing, analyzing, and understanding salary guides will be presented. Successful salary negotiation techniques such as developing comparisons, member input, district’s ability to pay, planning salary guide workshops, and planning a successful ratification will be emphasized. Challenges facing ESP and inclusive local associations will be stressed. We will discuss current issues of importance and present successful strategies.
Participants must bring their current scattergram and collective bargaining agreement, including all salary guides.
16. Advanced Salary Guides (offered Session II only)
Prerequisite: Basic Salary Guides
The workshop will give participants an understanding of how salary guides are constructed and calculated. Participants will construct a base-year cost-out and salary guides for three additional years on an Excel spreadsheet. Knowledge of how a spreadsheet functions is essential. This training will expand on issues raised in Basic Salary Guides, as well as explore additional concerns and techniques.
Enrollment limited to 18 participants (one per local). Computers will be provided.
17. Health Benefits and Pensions for Your Local (offered Session II only)
For: All members
Become your local’s go-to person for all your members’ health benefits and pension questions. Learn the ins and outs of what you need to know when assisting your members in understanding health plan options, minimizing out-of-pocket health care costs, premium sharing contributions, preparing for retirement, understanding their pensions, and more.
18. Managing Conflict Effectively (offered Session II only)
For: All members
This workshop is designed to increase personal and association effectiveness in dealing with conflict in a positive fashion. Participants will learn a variety of techniques that enhance this process by developing new strategies for identifying and handling conflict. Discussion will focus on what causes conflict and how better communication can help prevent or resolve conflict.
19. Thriving in High-Pressure Environments (offered Sessions I & II)
For: All members
Gain practical tools for managing workplace stress, advocating for your rights, and building resilience in challenging environments. Learn strategies to strengthen solidarity, maintain well-being, and navigate high-pressure situations while ensuring your voice is heard. Together, we’ll build the strength and skills to thrive, no matter the challenges we face.
20. Governance Fundamentals: Building Blocks for Success (offered Session I only)
For: All members
Understanding the organizational structure of local, state, and national affiliates empowers both new and seasoned union members. This training will help participants grasp key fundamentals of association governance, including constitutions, bylaws, parliamentary procedures, and equity-centered policies.
21. The Illusion of Inclusion: Diversity Celebrated, Equity Ignored (offered Session I only) *NEW
For: All members
This workshop examines the illusion of inclusion in education, where diversity is often celebrated, yet inequities persist beneath the guise of representation. Participants will unpack performative practices, explore systemic barriers, and engage with an Inclusion Audit Tool to assess their own institutions. Participants will share experiences and gain practical strategies to move from symbolic inclusion toward authentic, transformative equity that centers shared power, voice, and liberation. The goal of this workshop is to help participants turn inclusion from a buzzword into bold, systemic change.
22. The 50-Year Conspiracy Against Your Paycheck (offered Session I only) *NEW
For: All members
This workshop combines history and politics to identify and reveal the anti-union forces working to take money out of your paycheck and benefits from your family. You’ll learn about the birth and golden age of unions, the origins of the anti-union reaction, and the present-day web of think tanks that exist to undermine your contract. We’ll discuss how public employees and our unions are on the front lines of a larger battle over control of the American economy, and the ways in which race and identity have been used to divide unions to prevent us from advocating for our economic interests.
23. Membership Chair Training (offered Session I only)
For: All membership chairs
During this course, we will examine the calendar of yearly responsibilities, as well as best practices and new techniques to help you meet those requirements. The course will be broken into four parts that will include redesigning your new employee orientation, how to make the membership ask, authentic engagement and follow-up, and member retention.
24. Advanced Membership Chair Training (offered Session II only) *NEW
For: Experienced membership chairs or those who have completed Membership Chair Training
Along with expanding their skills in the day-to-day operations of membership responsibilities, attendees will practice the one-to-one approach and learn how to respond when confronted with difficult membership conversations. Attendees will create contract fact sheets, member welcome letters, and pamphlets to assist in these conversations. Participants will also plan year-round new staff/new member orientations. Finally, attendees will expand on building mapping exercises learned in previous sessions to create a layered approach to their membership team.
25. Educational Support Professionals (ESPs): You Are Essential, You Matter! (offered Session I only*) *NEW CONTENT
For: ESP members
Join fellow ESP members and experts on ESP issues in this lively workshop where you’ll gain the tools necessary to build your career and safeguard your interests. Just as you play an essential role in your school, your contribution to this workshop will ensure its success. Don’t miss out!
*This workshop has a special schedule. Registration is at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 31 and the workshop concludes with lunch on Sunday, August 2
26. Power, Policy, and Storytelling (offered Session II only) *NEW
For: All members
In this workshop, members will learn the ins and outs of governmental power structures that shape educational policy. We will explore how to use the art of storytelling and collective action as tools for advocacy in these arenas.
27. Teacher Leadership: Organizing and Advocating for Instructional Practice (offered Session II only)
For: All members
Teacher leadership is the process by which teachers as individuals or collectively influence their colleagues, administrators, and school districts on issues of teaching and learning. Explore the Teacher Leader Model Standards, which have been adopted by the state of New Jersey as the basis of the teacher leader endorsement. Ways in which members can organize to influence professional practice with their colleagues will also be explored.
28. Restoring the Heartbeat of Education: Healing-Centered Schools Through the ACCESS Model (offered Session II only) *NEW
For: All members
In today’s high-stress educational landscape, educators are experiencing burnout at alarming rates. This workshop introduces the ACCESS Model (A Community Collective for Equitable Sustainable Schools), a transformative approach that centers healing, teacher leadership, and trauma-informed community support. Explore ways to create restorative school cultures where both teachers and students feel seen, heard, and valued. Join us in reimagining schools as spaces of collective care and empowerment.
29. Digital Communication Tools with NJEASites (offered Session I only)
For: Association editors and webmasters with an NJEASites website in the newest Ocean theme
During this session, attendees will learn how to create and manage their association’s website. Learn how to use the customizer, create pages, posts, events, galleries, forms and more. Also covered will be how to send mass emails with Sendy Creator and other digital communications tools.
Enrollment limited to 18 participants (one per local). Computers will be provided.
30. How to Be a Powerful Public Speaker (offered Session II only)
For: All members
Learn how to look and sound your best when presenting to a group. Participants review techniques for preparing and delivering a speech. Each participant will be videotaped for a self-reflection and for group feedback.
Enrollment limited to 18 participants (one per local).
31. Local and County Social Media Managers 101 (offered Session I only)
For: Local association social media editors
Learn how to create and optimize a social media presence for your local or county association. Once established, social media can support your ability to activate your membership, engage your community, and maximize your organizing efforts.
Enrollment limited to 18 participants (one per local).
32. Protection, Prevention, and Power: Organizing to Address Workplace Violence and Advocate for Safer Schools (offered Session II only) *NEW
For: All members
This workshop offers an overview of school health and safety with a focus on preventing workplace violence. Participants will learn to build and strengthen health and safety committees, identify hazards, and conduct effective walkthroughs that lead to action. The session covers strategies for engaging members, advocating for prevention measures, ensuring clear reporting, and building accountability. Learn how health and safety issues can be turned into collective power to create lasting improvements at the worksite.
33. School Nurses: Strengthening our Network through Connecting, Advocating, and Organizing for Impact (offered Session I only) *NEW
For: School nurses
This workshop offers school nurses an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and become more engaged in their unions. Because many nurses are the only healthcare professionals in their building, building meaningful relationships and professional support networks can be challenging. Participants will learn effective organizing strategies to build lasting networks, strengthen contract knowledge, and increase involvement within their local.