It’s Time to Eliminate the New Jersey State Board of Examiners

Why Certification Power Should Rest Solely with the Commissioner of Education

For decades, the New Jersey State Board of Examiners (SBE) has stood as one of Trenton’s most obscure and least accountable bureaucracies. It issues, suspends, and revokes educator certificates, yet few teachers, administrators, or even superintendents could name a single member. In theory, the Board serves as a professional gatekeeper — protecting the integrity of the teaching profession. In practice, it has become a redundant, sluggish, and opaque layer of government that slows down hiring, frustrates educators, and dilutes accountability.

It’s time to eliminate it.

1️⃣ Bureaucracy Without Accountability

The SBE was created generations ago — long before New Jersey had a full-time Department of Education, an administrative code, or digital systems for certification. What might have made sense in 1900 makes no sense in 2025.

Today, the Board of Examiners meets behind closed doors, publishes little about its decisions, and operates with no public oversight. Its members are appointed, not elected, and unaccountable to taxpayers, educators, or lawmakers.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Education — a cabinet-level leader appointed by the Governor — is publicly visible, answerable to the State Board of Education, and ultimately to the people of New Jersey. The Commissioner already signs off on appeals and makes the final decisions on certification cases.

So why maintain a hidden intermediary when the Commissioner already has the authority, structure, and staff to do the job?

2️⃣ Duplication of Effort and Endless Delays

Ask any superintendent or HR director in New Jersey about certification timelines, and you’ll hear the same story:

• Applications sitting in limbo for months.

• Candidates unable to start teaching despite job offers.

• Confusion over who reviews what and when.

  
  

The reason? Too many hands in the process.

The Office of Certification and Induction reviews applications.The State Board of Examiners meets periodically to vote.Then, if something is appealed, the case goes to the Commissioner anyway.

This multi-layered structure creates gridlock, not quality control. Eliminating the SBE would streamline the process and allow the Department of Education to modernize certification the way it has modernized testing, data, and accountability.

3️⃣ Concentrated Responsibility = Clear Accountability

Right now, when something goes wrong in certification — when an educator waits six months for paperwork or when a misconduct case drags on for years — no one knows who to blame. The Board points to the DOE; the DOE points to the Board.

By consolidating certification authority under the Commissioner, accountability would become clear and direct.If the system fails, the Commissioner answers for it. That clarity drives better results. It creates pressure for performance — something the current structure lacks entirely.

4️⃣ The Commissioner Already Has Oversight Power

The 2008 restructuring of education law (P.L. 2008, c.36) made the Commissioner the final agency authority in all certification appeals. In other words, the SBE’s decisions already depend on the Commissioner’s review and approval. That means the SBE doesn’t operate as a true check or balance — it’s a middle step. An unnecessary middle step. By giving the Commissioner full statutory control over issuing, suspending, and revoking certificates, New Jersey could eliminate duplication, speed up decisions, and ensure every ruling aligns with state policy and precedent.

5️⃣ Modern Governance Demands Streamlining

Education governance in 2025 requires agility, transparency, and responsibility — not 20th-century bureaucracy. Other states have already moved away from this outdated model:

State	Oversight Model	Efficiency
New York	Certification handled directly by the Commissioner & DOE offices	Fast and centralized
Massachusetts	Commissioner-led Office of Educator Licensure	Transparent, web-based
Texas	Consolidated under the Commissioner through the State Board for Educator Certification	Accountability and speed

New Jersey, by contrast, clings to a structure built for paper files and typewriters. The SBE’s elimination would free resources, cut delays, and make certification as responsive as the rest of state government has become.

6️⃣ Professional Integrity Doesn’t Require a Board

Critics will argue that removing the SBE diminishes “professional oversight.” The opposite is true. Professional integrity doesn’t come from committees — it comes from clear standards, due process, and consistent enforcement. Those elements already exist in New Jersey’s Administrative Code (N.J.A.C. 6A:9B).

Educators accused of misconduct would still receive full due process through the Office of Administrative Law, with appeals to the Commissioner and judicial review. No integrity would be lost. Only inefficiency.

⚡ The Bottom Line

The State Board of Examiners is a relic of another era — one that no longer serves the profession or the public. It adds layers without adding value. It slows progress without protecting quality.And it hides accountability behind a fog of procedural formalities.

New Jersey’s Commissioner of Education already reviews every serious certification decision. It’s time to codify what’s already happening: make the Commissioner the sole authority over educator certification.

💬 Final Thought

True leadership isn’t about building more committees. It’s about making decisions, owning outcomes, and delivering results.If New Jersey wants a certification system that’s fast, fair, and accountable — the solution isn’t another meeting. It’s eliminating the State Board of Examiners once and for all.