Taking note of the fact that New Jersey’s local boards of education have contributed to New Jersey being one of the country’s leading states for public education, Gov. Chris Christie proclaimed January 2015 as School Board Recognition Month in the state.
“As the policymaking bodies for local school districts, New Jersey’s local boards of education endeavor to meet the challenges facing public schools and to help students attain the education necessary to excel in college and in the workplace and to enable them to compete in a global economy,” the governor said in his proclamation.
The governor also paid tribute to the “countless hours, without remuneration,” that New Jersey’s 4,800 local board of education members devote to the oversight of school district operations.
NJSBA initiated the state’s first School Board Recognition Month in 2002 as a way to acknowledge the work of the local school board members who oversee the education of New Jersey’s 1.4 million public school students. Nationally, School Board Recognition Month began in the early 1990s; in addition to New Jersey, several other states dedicate a month to recognize the service of their state’s community school boards.
Gov. Christie’s proclamation, as well as information on ways to celebrate the work of school boards, can be found on theSchool Board Recognition Month section of NJSBA’s website.