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New Jersey’s incoming education leader, Lily Laux, has experience overseeing literacy initiatives in Texas, where she served as one of that state’s top education officials and implemented training for over 150,000 K-3 teachers in the science of reading. Now, Laux is expected to bring her expertise in literacy reform to her new position.
The New Jersey Board of Education confirmed Laux as acting commissioner of education, a procedural move that allows her to take over when Kevin Dehmer steps down by the end of the day Wednesday.
Laux’s official appointment to lead the state’s education department is pending Senate approval.
Before her nomination to the state’s top education seat, Laux worked for the ILO Group, an education policy and strategy firm that develops educational strategies with state and district leaders. She also spent nearly seven years with the Texas Education Agency, where, as deputy commissioner of school programs, she led the implementation of school finance reform, the agency’s COVID-19 response, and a comprehensive literacy initiative.
In New Jersey, Laux will focus on literacy outcomes, expanding access to pre-K, increasing mental health resources, modernizing the state’s school funding formula, and investing in high-impact tutoring, once her appointment is finalized, according to the state.
Speaking to state board of education members on Wednesday, Laux said public schools were essential to her life story, and her upbringing prepared her for work in education. Raised by a single mother, Laux said she felt inspired to pursue a career in education, and as a teacher, she witnessed the systemic barriers making lives harder for students, school districts, and educators, Laux said.
“I’m very honored that Gov. Sherrill has entrusted me with this vision of how do we continue to take what’s already great in New Jersey and make sure that we have tremendous opportunity for every single student,” Laux said.
Laux will succeed Dehmer, who spent more than 17 years with the New Jersey Department of Education serving in financial leadership roles, including twice as acting commissioner of education, before he was formally sworn into the role last March. On Monday, Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced Dehmer as her pick to be the state’s chief technology officer, overseeing the New Jersey Office of Information Technology.
During Wednesday’s state board of education meeting, members praised Laux’s extensive background in education. Dehmer called her “outstanding and overly qualified.”
As commissioner of education, Laux will oversee the state’s 1.4 million students across its more than 600 school districts. She will also support other education priorities laid out by the Sherrill administration, including equity in schools and overseeing the state’s literacy framework.
Laux is “all about students, access, and opportunity,” said Julia Rafal-Baer, chief executive officer at ILO Group.
During her time with the ILO Group last fall, Laux worked with state and district leaders across the country to help oversee strategies in implementing instructional materials for schools and the responsible use of AI in schools, and used her expertise around workforce development to help develop pathways for student success, said Rafal-Baer.
“She comes at her work with such a deep appreciation for the power of public schools and what public school teachers did for her,” Rafal-Baer added.
Education advocates in Newark will be looking to Laux and the Sherrill administration to help fund updates to public school buildings, improve early childhood education, desegregate schools, and provide more resources for families of students with disabilities. In January, Sherrill signed an executive order to establish the Office of Youth Online Mental Health Safety and Awareness in the Department of Health to help protect kids online and improve their mental health.
Laux was also a candidate for commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education last April.
Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
