Gov. Phil Murphy is trying to replace six current members of the State Board of Education, possibly as soon as Monday, although the Senate Judiciary Committee, which must approve the nominations, has no meetings scheduled.

All current State Board of Education members are serving expired terms. Gov. Phil Murphy has attempted to replace them but has has been stymied by the judicial process. Last week the Committee was scheduled, once again, to consider his nomination of education consultant Mary Bennett but her name was pulled from the agenda after questions were raised about her qualifications.

It is unclear why Gov. Murphy’s new nominees have not been publicly announced. NJEA President Sean Spiller may have tipped the Governor’s hand by writing in an op-ed this morning,

“Six nominees are currently awaiting confirmation by the Judiciary Committee. I urge that they all be confirmed so we can give the new commissioner a Board of Education that will be a partner in progress, not an impediment.”

Last year NJEA executives were involved in the Governor’s nomination process for the State Board of Education.

Mary Bennett, Kwanghee Jung (a professor at Rutgers University), and Claudine Keenan (a dean at Stockton University) were originally nominated in September 2022 but none of the nominations moved forward. The three new nominees are Jeanette Pena, a former Union City Board of Education President who works for Jersey City Public Schools; Serena Rice, the Executive Director of the Anti-Poverty Network; and James Williams, the Director of Racial Justice Policy at Fair Share Housing Center.