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Our Children/Our Schools Network Releases 2026 Policy Priorities to Advance Education Equity in New Jersey 

Students Studying Inside the Classroom

Our Children/Our Schools (OC/OS), a statewide advocacy network of several dozen New Jersey education, children’s rights, and civil rights organizations, is working to ensure that public education remains a top legislative priority in the state.

To achieve this goal, the network recently released a policy brief outlining priorities for 2026 and beyond. The brief provides a comprehensive roadmap for protecting, funding, and strengthening public education statewide. Its release comes at a pivotal moment, with new leadership in the governor’s office and the NJ Department of Education, and as the current federal administration makes sweeping policy decisions that pose a threat to public education.

“This policy brief reflects the shared priorities of a diverse group of New Jersey advocates and their organizations,” said Kaleena Berryman, Co-Convenor of OC/OS. “We urge policymakers to consider these topics and recommendations to ensure that the state’s schoolchildren have the resources and supports they need to be safe, supported, and successful in school.”

The brief provides extensive information and citations on a range of education policy topics that fall into several critical areas, including:

  • Civil Rights & Integration: Protecting the civil rights of all students and desegregating New Jersey’s public schools.
  • Funding & School Construction: Reforming the school funding formula; rejecting private education vouchers; and funding school construction;
  • Student Supports: Providing resources for crucial supports for students, including expanding the number of community schools and securing funding for afterschool, out-of-school programs, and healing-centered engagement;
  • Governance & Accountability: Eliminating the high school exit exam requirement and filling expired seats on the State Board of Education.

As part of the brief’s official launch, OC/OS hosted a webinar entitled Achieving Educational Equity in New Jersey: OC/OS 2026 Policy Brief Release, which featured several long-time OC/OS members: Greg Stankiewicz from the New Jersey Community Schools Coalition; Liz Smith from the Statewide Education Organizing Committee; Nicole Ciullo from Education Law Center; and Rosie Grant from the Paterson Education Fund. The webinar was moderated by Kaleena Berryman, who co-convenes OC/OS. A recording of the webinar is available here.

“This webinar and brief are essential resources for all those who care about and want to improve educational equity in New Jersey,” said Peg Kinsell. “We hope advocates, educators, community members, and policymakers will work together to strengthen public education in the state.”

Visit the OC/OS website for more information about the network. Access the policy brief online here and webinar recording here.  

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Press Contact:
Sharon Krengel
Director of Policy, Strategic Partnerships and Communications
skrengel@edlawcenter.org
973-624-1815, x240