A task force has been set up to tackle the disturbing trend teacher shortage in New Jersey it was Thursday.
The state’s public school understaffing task force has expanded its ranks as Gov. Phil Murphy announced the appointment of the final 23 members. A 25-member task force created by executive order earlier this fall will ideally develop strategies to improve the quality and quantity of the state’s education workforce, state officials said.
Its members include various school administrators, representatives of educational associations and teachers. They include Sandra Montañez-Diadonet, Passaic superintendent of schools, Timothy Purnell, interim Morris County executive, and Sean Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association and mayor of Montclair.
“We must recognize the impact the teacher shortage in our state and across the country will have on our economy, the arts and our civil society,” Murphy said. “I am confident that this task force offers the unique perspectives and expertise that are needed at this time.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, teacher shortages in New Jersey were typically reserved for low-income areas. However, the mass of retirements and resignations from the beginning made the problem more widespread. There are very few candidates for teaching. New Jersey colleges are producing about half as many graduates with education degrees in 2019 as in 2009, according to the 2020 New Jersey Policy Perspective study. Some teacher advocates argue that the state certification and residency requirements are too strict and the pay to stick around long enough to become a teacher is too low.
In an effort to reduce the deficit, Murphy in September eliminated the basic test for teacher licensure from state requirements. According to state documents, the Educational Teacher Performance Assessment, or edTPA, will need to be replaced with another benchmark for teacher quality assurance. The warning muted other reactions among opponents of the edTPA threshold, including representatives of most of the state’s largest teacher preparation programs.
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Finding ways to meet the demand for teachers and support staff while maintaining quality standards for adoption will be a major goal of the task force, state officials said Thursday. So, members will also be tasked with examining strategies for hiring and retaining teachers, state records show
Murphy created a task force with chairman-elect Dennis Zeveloff, the governor’s top policy adviser. Christopher Huber, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education, was also previously appointed to the committee.
23 members were named on Thursday:
- Dr. David Aderhold
- Gisela Adorno
- Karen Bingert
- Madeline Boning
- Jackie Burke
- Dr. Janet Fike
- Dr. Adam Fried
- Henry Goodhue
- Trina Jenkins
- Debra Jennings
- Margaret Kinsell
- Dr. Amy Kline
- Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt
- Harry Lee
- Dr. Stacey Lewtwich
- Sandra Montaes-Diadone
- Ikechukwu Onyema
- Patricia Paradiso
- Sylvia Pereira
- Dr. Timothy Purnell
- Sean Spiller
- Dr. Richard Tomka
- Mikhail Vranchyk
