In a video message to AFTNJ members, AFT President Randi Weingarten touches upon the issues at the forefront of the presidential election and explains why it is important to vote for the union-endorsed New Jersey congressional candidates, among them Amy Kennedy.
“Just this week, I spent time with Amy when the AFT Votes [bus] swung through New Jersey,” she said.…
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The American Federation of Teachers has placed third on a list of the 30 most powerful unions in America compiled by the financial website GOBankingRates.
As part of its methodology, GOBankingRates ranked the unions in terms of total members, using information available through the Office of Labor-Management Standards’ union reports under Schedule 13.
To view the full list, click here.…
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With the first marking period of the 2020-21 academic year winding down, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was asked during his Oct. 26 media briefing if COVID-19 guidance modifications may be in store for the second marking period.
“I don’t anticipate any new guidance, but each of the districts has to coordinate,” he said. Murphy does expect “continued high-level of communication” and cooperation among school districts and the education and health departments.…
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A recent national survey released by the AFT and the New York Life Foundation has found that 75% of educators are in strong agreement that social and emotional support for students has never been more important — and the same percentage says that COVID-19 has opened their eyes to the immense impact of grief and loss.
Among the other findings: Only 15% of educators feel very comfortable addressing students’ emotional needs that have been caused or intensified by the coronavirus outbreak.…
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AFT President Randi Weingarten was in New Jersey on Oct. 24 as part of the AFT Votes bus tour’s two Garden State stops, both to rally support for congressional candidate Amy Kennedy.
The first stop was in Franklinville, where Weingarten said, “We need a Senate and we need a Congress that work in an audacious way in that first 100 days to actually turn around what has become a very deep recession for working people.”
Before the caravan headed to Vineland, Kennedy thanked AFTNJ President Donna M.…
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The New Jersey School Boards Association on Oct. 23 released the third in a series of special reports on how the coronavirus is changing education across New Jersey.
“Reopening Schools: Online Learning and the Digital Divide” delves into solving virtual learning issues, realizing the potential of online learning and more.
To view the report, click here.…
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Attorney David G. Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center, sent a letter this week addressed to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and others regarding the state’s “ongoing failure to authorize additional school construction funding.”
NJ Spotlight has comments and statements from Sciarra, the governor’s office and others.
Also, the ELC — along with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey — recently sent a letter to N.J.…
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The AFT Votes bus will roll into South Jersey for two stops on Oct. 24.
The first is the Vote With Amy Event, set for 5:30 p.m. at 1571 Delsea Drive in Franklinville, in support of Amy Kennedy, who is running for Congress in New Jersey’s second district. Kennedy, AFT President Randi Weingarten, AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus and AFTNJ President Donna M.…
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In the wake of the Newark Board of Education deciding to extend remote learning for all students until Jan. 25, Newark Teachers Union (Local 481) President John M. Abeigon is standing up for the needs of his educators.
“No teacher, especially new teachers, were prepared or trained for this,” Abeigon said in a statement. “If we are to improve our remote teaching, district administrators need to take their boots off our necks and help us instead of applying even more pressure [than] we are already under.”
Chalkbeat Newark’s Patrick Wall has more.…
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Rutgers University’s New Brunswick and Newark campuses and Montclair State University have landed on U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 Best Global Universities list.
Calculations were based on 13 indicators, among them global research reputation and regional research reputation.
To see the full list, click here.
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Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s nominee for education commissioner, spoke for about nine minutes at her introductory press conference Oct. 20 in South Orange.
Here is some of what she said:
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Oct. 20 named Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan as his nominee for commissioner of education during a press conference at Marshall Elementary School in South Orange.
Dr. Allen-McMillan will serve in an acting role until her confirmation by the full state Senate.
“We welcome Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan as New Jersey’s commissioner of education, and we look forward to collaborating with her during this tumultuous time in education,” AFTNJ President Donna M.…
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Technically, he’s retired, but Mark Chaykin has not been one to stay inactive.
A few years ago, around the time he moved to New Jersey, Chaykin — who in his career was a teacher in Queens, New York, and director of field services for New York State United Teachers — became more involved with the retired teachers chapter of the United Federation of Teachers.…
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