Political Action Guide: What does NJEA fight for?
To help students be successful and ensure schools have the funding they need to maintain and improve their quality,
NJEA supports:
- Ensuring that contracts between school districts and our local associations are honored.
- Full-day preschool.
- Universal full-day kindergarten.
- Smaller class sizes, especially in earlier grades.
- Release time for parents to attend school functions.
- Healthy, safe and modern schools.
- Accountability standards for all public schools.
- Expansion of public school choice options.
- Human and civil rights, and social, racial and economic justice.
- Ensuring schools are not for profit.
- Ensuring public funds are used only for public schools.
- Equitable funding for economically stressed school districts.
- Adequate state funding for regular education programs.
- Aid for facilities and debt service.
- Funding for programs for at-risk and high-needs students.
- During the pandemic, NJEA is fighting for:
- Resources to ensure educators and students can safely return to school
- Priority access to vaccines for educators
- Ensuring access to digital tools for students and staff
- Resources to address learning interruptions because of the pandemic
To ensure an outstanding education for every student while preserving a high-quality workforce,
NJEA supports:
- A fair evaluation system that relies on multiple measures of student progress.
- Expanded opportunities and rights for educational support professionals.
- Educator-driven professional development for certified and support staff.
- Two-year, state-funded mentoring for novice teachers.
- A defined benefit pension plan in retirement, as it is part of a school employee’s compensation.
- Collective bargaining at the local level.
- Access to excellent health care for employees, with any premium-sharing subject to local bargaining.
- Local control over decisions that affect schools and communities.