Dr. Marc Gaswirth, a retired public school administrator, has written extensively for nearly 50 years about public sector bargaining  and school human resources.  

Welcome to the Garden State, Commissioner Laux. 

Many challenges face you, most no different than those faced by your predecessors. The reason these challenges still exist is that they are systemic in nature and have been left only partially resolved or, worse yet, ignored. 

You will learn, if you haven’t already, that New Jersey education policy resides largely with those whose primary focus has far less to do with students’ needs than it does with their own political or organizational standing. 

Those with the greatest power to set education policy, other than your boss, Governor Sherrill, are the majority Democrat Party and the dominant special interest group, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), which are strongly aligned with each other. 

Be mindful of both since they can easily derail your goals. 

So far, your first major announced initiative is to improve literacy education, the foundation on which all learning rests. Even though this laudable concept so far is light on substance and rather abstract, few should find reason to object. 

A general rule: As long as your future policy proposals do not infringe on the prerogatives of politicians or substantially upset the NJEA and other special interests, you are likely to see some success. Conversely, if they in any way challenge the sacred tradition of local control or expanded school employee rights, they will either be diluted or rejected outright. 

There are many longstanding and serious structural issues affecting our public education system. These include the need for school district consolidation; a major desegregation case pending in the courts that may eventually force the state to reexamine the practice of allowing 600 school districts to operate largely on their own; longstanding lackluster academic achievement, especially in poor, urban areas; an outdated school funding formula; excessive legislative intrusion that has created burdensome and costly regulatory requirements, and a collective bargaining model that skews strongly in favor of employee interests.

Additionally, you will also encounter enormous challenges other than the task to educate 1.3 million public school students, ones that cry out for an answer to a thorny political question. That is, beyond performing their traditional academic role, how will financially-strapped school districts also continue to address growing societal ills evidenced by increased incidences of student truancy, emotional distress and mental illness, homelessness, and substance abuse?

Unless the governor authorizes you to tackle these knotty issues, I fear, your portfolio will be incomplete and your impact will be minimal. This is unfortunate. As a primary advocate for greater statewide student achievement and equity, many would welcome your voice. 

Unlike Texas where the statewide Republican Party is solidly in control, Democrats hold the lever of political power in this state. For the past twenty five years, they usually occupied the governor’s office and firmly controlled both legislative houses. 

In both states, like so many others, however, politics and education reform are inextricably intertwined and the results are at best mixed. New Jersey, you will find, will be no different. 

Since your confirmation, you have probably paid courtesy calls to many key members of the legislature. These visits can serve as object lessons on how politics and union interests intersect and interact in New Jersey, sometimes to the detriment of students. 

Here is a recent example: Senator Vin Gopal, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, served as the primary sponsor of bill proposal 5060, which became law before the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, a political payoff to the NJEA for its support of his reelection bid in a swing district. 

The law misguidedly expanded school employees’ use of current and accumulated paid sick days to include all sorts of personal reasons beyond those already in labor contracts. It further restricted the monitoring and enforcement of sick leave abuse and failed to put in place a reporting mechanism to determine the impact of any increased staff absenteeism. 

The law also drove up staff absenteeism and substitute costs, placed greater stress on school budgets, and, even worse, failed to acknowledge that heightened staff absenteeism hurts students by denying them critical time with their regular instructors. 

This law illustrates one of many problematic quid pro quos between the majority party and the NJEA, part and parcel of a longstanding New Jersey tradition where union demands often prevail over students’ interests 

School management groups rightly opposed this law. But don’t expect too much of their help advancing necessary major education reforms because they largely oppose any move toward school district consolidation or those that may undermine their members’ status, financial interests, or job security. 

But you will certainly hear from them an annual clarion call for more state aid to offset rising costs and staff reductions. You will also face tremendous resistance should you insist on greater accountability, including increases in student performance. 

While you may be still enjoying the “Honeymoon Period” and your inaugural tour throughout the state where you will meet with many school superintendents, be prepared to hear a litany of familiar concerns. They will closely resemble those your predecessors heard because fundamentally little has changed in the education firmament for decades. 

Unless Governor Sherrill is willing to steadfastly stand behind you when pressure builds from legislative and special interest groups, your time in office, like so many of your predecessors, is likely to be professionally exasperating. 

Implementing education reform was no doubt difficult in Texas, where you earned a well-deserved reputation as an innovative educator. Here in New Jersey, sad to say, it will be harder. I wish you well.

 (Laux picture courtesy of the New Jersey Governor’s Office/Statehouse picture by Hal Brown)