NJ Senate President Steve Sweeney will be the keynote speaker at the NJSBA/NJPTA Legislative Day, to be held June 2 in Trenton.
Sweeney was first elected to the New Jersey Senate in 2001. Serving as Senate president since January 2010, he has taken a leading role in promoting property tax relief and refocusing New Jersey’s fiscal priorities. He has also sponsored laws to raise New Jersey’s minimum wage and create the state’s Paid Family Leave program. At 10:45 a.m., Sweeney will discuss priority issues in public education.
For the sixth year, NJSBA will again partner with the New Jersey PTA to present Legislative Day. The day provides local school board members and parents with a chance to network with others from different districts, share information, and address legislators about the challenges facing public schools in New Jersey.
The day will begin with a continental breakfast and registration at 8:30 a.m. The program will kick off with invited legislators participating in a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, NJSBA executive director.
At 11:30 a.m., New Jersey Commissioner of Education David Hespe will discuss priority issues in public education. Hespe is an accomplished education leader with decades of public service in New Jersey. He was the education commissioner from 1999 through 2001, chief of staff at the New Jersey Department of Education from 2011 to 2012, former president of Burlington County College, and a former assistant superintendent and later interim superintendent in the Willingboro school district, among other positions.
From 2009 to 2011, he was chairman of the board of trustees of the Education Leadership Foundation of New Jersey (ELFNJ), a nonprofit that works with NJSBA to advance public education governance through training, research and attaining grants to further professional development.
At noon, Mark Biedron, president of the New Jersey State Board of Education, will speak about the responsibilities of the State Board.
Legislative Day will run from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday, June 2 in the George Washington Ballroom, which is located in the Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton. A buffet lunch will be served, and there will be free parking available.
There is no fee to attend this program, but pre-registration is required. School board members, charter school trustees or business administrators registering a board for this program, can register online.
NJSBA’s Board Member Academy offers two credits for attending the program.
For more information, contact Sharon Seyler, NJSBA legislative advocate via email.