The New Jersey School Boards Association’s board of directors met in-person and virtually on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.

Karen Cortellino, M.D., president of NJSBA, presided over the meeting from the Association’s headquarters in Trenton. Immediate Past President Irene LeFebvre and Vice Presidents Barry Fitzgerald, Dr. Tom Connors and Chanta L. Jackson also participated in the meeting from headquarters. Executive Director Dr. Timothy J. Purnell provided his report to the board from headquarters.

The board of directors approved the following items:

  • NJSBA 2023-2024 Annual Audit Report.
  • Open session minutes of the Sept. 20, 2024, board of directors meeting.
  • Board of director representatives to the 2024-2026 NJSBA Nominating Committee.

Executive Director’s Report

Purnell addressed NJSBA activities and the progress made in enabling school districts to meet the challenges presented to them ensuring that members continue to benefit from essential training, advocacy and direct service. He addressed the topics listed below.

NJSBA finances: NJSBA’s independent audit for fiscal year 2023-2024 reflects positively on the Association’s business and financial operations and was unanimously approved by the board of directors.

Workshop 2024: Workshop 2024 was a resounding success. The conference had more than 8,700 registrants, 415 vendors on the exhibit floor and more than 250 training sessions. Feedback received from member surveys and from emails to the executive director has been overwhelmingly positive. The survey indicated that 97% of attendees would recommend Workshop to new board members and more than 75% of attendees plan to return in 2025.

The “Unsung Superheroes” awards program celebrated its second year. This year, 12 individuals who work tirelessly behind the scenes and are often overlooked but make a lasting impact on our schools and communities were celebrated. The Star Ledger ran a nice article on the program and noted “Not all heroes wear capes. Some heroes don orange safety vests, hairnets, or practical coveralls, like the dozen school district staff honored late last month at the New Jersey School Board Association’s ‘Unsung Superheroes in Education Awards.’”

New NJSBA website: Since the last meeting of the board of directors, NJSBA officially introduced its new website on Oct. 1. Some new features include more intuitive navigation, enhanced search functionality, and a new “Topics” section curated to include a range of NJSBA information resources on 21 topics, including school budget and finance, artificial intelligence, career and technical education and school facilities.

Training and board resources: On Oct. 1, NJSBA’s Legal and Labor Relations team held the Fall Labor Summit. The Association continues to provide regular mandated training opportunities for members. The New Board Member Orientation programs are scheduled for the weekends of Jan. 24 and Feb. 21. Registration for these programs begins Jan. 2.

NJSBA is working on an update to the board self-evaluation tool. This is the first revision in 15 years. Two changes in the new version include having boards look closely at their board goals and assess whether they have achieved the goals and having boards assess the contributions that individual board members have made to the whole team. Testing of the new self-evaluation tool will take place in December, with the rollout scheduled for January.

New deputy director: On Oct. 1, NJSBA formally welcomed Dr. Nicholas Diaz as the new deputy director. Diaz was previously the shared superintendent of Franklin Township School District and Union Township Schools in Hunterdon County.

Nominating Committee Elections

Article X, Section 3 of the NJSBA Bylaws requires that the Nominating Committee be established prior to the Annual Delegates Meeting in May 2025.

Governance and Operations File Code 8462R outlines the composition of the Nominating Committee. Board of directors’ members of the Nominating Committee shall be elected one each from the four geographical areas. In order to meet the deadlines prior to the May Delegate Assembly, the board of directors elected its representatives at the Nov. 15 meeting.

  • Northwest Area (Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex and Warren): Diane Morris, Mine Hill Board of Education, Morris County.
  • Northeast Area (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union): Michael Sprague, Norwood Board of Education, Bergen County.
  • Central Area (Burlington, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean): Victoria Pakala, Brick Township Board of Education, Ocean County.
  • Southern Area (Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem): Marsha Hershman, Lindenwold Board of Education, Camden County.

Recognition of Retiring and New Members

The following retiring members were recognized for their service to the New Jersey School Boards Association and the students of New Jersey: Erica Campbell, member for Burlington County; Thomas Belasco, alternate for Cape May County; Natalie Baker, member for Gloucester County; Michele Giaquinto, alternate for Gloucester County; and Marie Bilik, member for Sussex County.

The NJSBA recognized retiring members of NJSBA’s board of directors. From left to right: Erica Campbell, member for Burlington County; Karen Cortellino, M.D., NJSBA president; Natalie Baker, member for Gloucester County; and Dr. Timothy Purnell, NJSBA executive director/CEO.  

The following new members and alternates and reelected members and alternates were introduced.

New members:

  • Burlington County alternate: Carlye Lamarca, Burlington Township Board of Education.
  • Camden County member: Karen Sorbello, Magnolia Board of Education.
  • Camden County alternate: Linda Gilch, Gloucester Township Board of Education.
  • Cumberland County alternate: Erica Williams-Mosley, Bridgeton Board of Education.
  • Gloucester County member: Rena’ Morrow, Monroe Township Board of Education.
  • Gloucester County alternate: Crystal Greene, Clayton Board of Education.

Re-elected members:

The NJSBA recognized its new members on the board of directors. From left to right: Karen Cortellino, M.D., NJSBA president; Michael McClure, member for Burlington County; and Karen Sorbello, member for Camden County.
  • Burlington County member – Michael McClure (elected to member from alternate position).
  • Cape May County member – Jacqueline McAlister.

The board of directors also received reports from the president, vice president for county activities, vice president for finance, vice president for legislation/resolutions and immediate past president, as well as detailed reports from NJSBA staff on advocacy and legislation.

Information items included Association Financials, Legal Case Summary, Member Dues Update 2023-2024, NJSBA Delegate Assembly Update and written reports from officers.