Gov. Phil Murphy has nominated Kevin Dehmer to serve as New Jersey’s Commissioner of Education. NJEA’s officers, President Sean M. Spiller, Vice President Steve Beatty, and Secretary-Treasurer Petal Robertson, released this statement:

We look forward to partnering with Kevin Dehmer as he takes the helm of the New Jersey Department of Education. His deep understanding of the NJDOE will serve him well as he works to implement Gov. Murphy’s pro-public education agenda and to address the educator shortage crisis in New Jersey. It is imperative that he seek out the voices of practicing classroom educators who can bring authentic classroom perspectives to the policy discussions he will be leading. Practicing educators understand both the urgency of the challenges we face and the solutions we should pursue. We stand ready to help the incoming commissioner make those connections to New Jersey’s classrooms and to work with him to ensure our public schools remain the best in the nation.