Educator With Irvington, Newark Ties Takes Seat On NJ School Board

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An educator with several ties to Essex County began her term on the New Jersey State Board of Education this week: Mary Bennett.

Bennett and Jeanette Peña – an educator in Hudson County – were sworn into their seats on the board on Wednesday (watch the video below).

Bennett, an Irvington resident, has also had work experience in Newark, Montclair and South Orange. The governor’s office gave some details about her background in a news release:

WORK EXPERIENCE – “Mary Bennett has worked as Educational Consultant/Adjunct Faculty for the Seton Hall University Academy for Urban Transformation, South Orange, since 2007. She has also worked as an Instructor and Education Mentor at Montclair State University since 2007. She served as Executive Director of Project GRAD, Newark from 2001-2013; as Senior Fellow/Lead Facilitator at the National Center for Educational Alliances, Bronx Community College, from 1999-2002; and as principal, vice-principal, program director, and English language arts teacher in Newark Public Schools from 1973 to 1999.”

EDUCATION – “She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Douglass College, New Brunswick, and received her master’s in Curriculum Development from Rutgers University, New Brunswick. She is certified by the New Jersey Department of Education as school business administrator, assistant executive superintendent, principal, supervisor, and teacher. She also attended Seton Hall University for Administrative Credentialing.”

OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE – “Currently a resident of Irvington, she chaired the Newark Educational Services Board in 2016 to help implement the district’s return to local control; served as former board member of Our Children, Our Schools New Jersey in 2015; as co-coordinator with Alliance for Newark Public Schools since 2013; and as Children’s Advocate appointed by Superior Court of New Jersey, from 2003-2006.”

Bennett replaces Mary Elizabeth Gazi, and Peña will fill the seat of Ernie Lepore, who resigned from the board.

The New Jersey State Board of Education is a 13-member panel appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the state Senate. The board adopts the administrative code, which are the regulations that detail how education law will be implemented. Regulations cover the supervision and governance of the state’s local educational agencies, which include all public school districts, charter schools, and renaissance school projects that collectively serve nearly 1.4 million students. In addition, the board advises on educational policies proposed by the commissioner and confirms Department of Education staff appointments made by the commissioner.

“Mary and Jeanette bring with them a wealth of experience in working to improve educational outcomes of young learners in our state,” Gov. Phil Murphy said.

“I am confident they will be invaluable to the board,” he added.

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