2020-2021 Media and Press Coverage

NJ 101.5

February 2, 2021

“One of the factors that most people don’t understand is the lack of available staff to conduct schooling because of how COVID-19 has impacted families and individual staff members across the state,” Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, said.

NJ Spotlight News

February 2, 2021

NJASA Executive Director Dr. Richard G. Bozza said the group’s argument — and that of a growing list of local superintendents — is that the districts already collect considerable data on students that can be used to pinpoint needs in the face of the pandemic and the loss of instruction time, be it remote or in-person.

NJ.com

January 25, 2020

“An in-person classroom environment provides the benefits of a socialization process and affords students with the greatest needs, such as limited English or other special needs, the opportunity to reach their full potential,” said Anne Gallagher, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Association of School Administrators.

But, Gallagher pointed out, resources and funding are limited. “Before the new Administration can accomplish this Herculean task, several moving pieces from the worlds of science, health and medicine, education, government, and finances need to be aligned on the same page,” she said.

New Jersey News Network

January 22, 2021

NJASA Executive Director Dr. Richard G. Bozza and Madison Public Schools Chief Education Officer Mark Schwarz talk with New Jersey News Network.

NJ101.5

December 16, 2020

Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, said the group has been pushing, since long before the pandemic, for allowing remote-learning days to be an option for districts that would rather not lose a day of instruction due to inclement weather.

With that right, Bozza said, districts will have a better shot at maintaining a reasonable schedule during a snow-heavy winter. Instead of needing to lengthen the school year due to multiple snow days, or shorten breaks, districts can switch to a remote day and keep their schedules in tact.

"If I have built in three inclement weather days that don't adjust my schedule, what happens when a fourth or fifth or six does?" Bozza said. "I think most people would want to take advantage of a virtual day rather than taking what's typically been called a snow day."

Bozza said if he were still a superintendent and virtual days were an alternative to snow days in the future, he'd likely give kids off on the built-in days, then switch to remote learning for future bad-weather days — he believes a number of superintendents would go this route as well.

According to the New Jersey School Boards Association, the vast majority of school districts in the Garden State build snow days into their calendars.

Bozza said the abilities of New Jersey schools to deliver a remote learning day have improved drastically over the past nine months, so the state is much more prepared than in years past to easily convert an in-person day to a remote day in the event of foul weather.

"I think given our experience during this pandemic, we'll have much greater success talking to that point in the next legislative year," Bozza said.

NJ.com

December 15, 2020

The state education department has advised school districts that they may substitute virtual instruction for snow days for the duration of the health emergency, said Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators.

The Sun Newspapers

November 30, 2020

NJ.com

September 15, 2020

New Jersey schools had a hard time finding substitute teachers before the pandemic, and the health crisis has only increased demand for qualified substitutes, said Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators.

Citing health concerns or childcare dilemmas, classroom teachers have sought leaves of absence or remote teaching allowances, local school officials say. Some districts experienced a wave of such requests since Gov. Phil Murphy announced in mid-August districts could switch to remote-only instruction if they can’t open safely, jeopardizing their ability to reopen.

Superintendents are still reporting new resignations, Bozza said, adding he expects the teacher shortage to persist, particularly with the prospect of a second wave this fall.

Like Ruiz, Bozza said he hopes long term the relaxed credit requirement exposes more college students to the teaching profession and ultimately diversifies the workforce.

In the meantime, he said, there is an emergent need for more substitutes.

NJ Spotlight

September 3, 2020

...the state’s superintendents association sent a letter of “great urgency” to the governor, saying schools are facing a shortage of staff willing to go back into the classroom. It asked if schools in this situation could go all-remote, an issue not addressed in the state’s latest guidance.

“In many school districts the ability to operate school safely is impaired as substitute personnel cannot be found to fill these positions or other staffing arrangements are not viable to meet health requirements,” read the letter from Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators.

News12

September 3, 2020

NJ Spotlight

August 14, 2020

“The last thing we want to see is all the hard work they have done end up in litigation,” said Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators.

NJ 101.5

August 11, 2020

For years there’s been a shortage of school bus drivers in part because a commercial driver’s license is required and other driving jobs that require a CDL pay more. But this year with the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem is even worse, according to Richard Bozza, the executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators.

APP.com

August 4, 2020

CBS This Morning

Balancing School Safety: Superintendents Share Their Concerns as They Plan to Reopen

August 3, 2020