Gov.-elect Phil Murphy announced Friday he's nominating the superintendent of Asbury Park schools to be New Jersey's next education commissioner -- and tasked him with helping "revolutionize learning" in the state.
Murphy said Lamont Repollet -- who has run the Monmouth County city's school system since 2014 -- will help him with some of his biggest goals for education: eliminating controversial PARCC testing and improving the state's relationship with teachers after eight years of Republican Gov. Chris Christie.
"Not every child has the same educational opportunity," Murphy, a Democrat who takes office Tuesday, said during a news conference at Barack Obama Elementary School in Asbury Park. "If we are to move ahead, we must close these gaps. If we are to move ahead, we need new leadership."
As with most Cabinet nominees, Repollet -- pronounced "Rep-o-let" -- will need to be confirmed by the Democratic-controlled state Senate.
By picking Repollet, who is black, Murphy also continues his vow to make his Cabinet reflective of New Jersey's diversity.
Murphy campaigned on departing from several of Christie's education policies and tapped the president of the New Jersey Education Association -- the state's largest teachers union and a frequent Christie foe -- as the co-chair of his transition committee on educational issues.
In selecting Repollet, Murphy chose the leader of a school district Christie often held up as a prime example of wasteful spending and what he called the state's failed investment in urban districts.
When Christie proposed a drastic overhaul of the state's school funding system in 2016, he pointed to Asbury Park, which was spending about $33,000 per student -- more than any other traditional school district in the state -- with a 66 percent high school graduation rate.
But Murphy said what Repollet has done in Asbury Park is "nothing short of a turnaround," helping improve literacy, test scores, and attendance.
"The long-term success of our state relies on the ability to provide children with education equity and access to quality education," Repollet said.
Repollet, 47, came to Asbury Park after nine years as principal of the high school in Carteret, his hometown. He started his career as a middle-school teacher.
Repollet recalled Friday how his parents struggled with unemployment and had to rely on money from the government.
Repollet said he was able to attend Trenton State College -- now the College of New Jersey -- thanks to the Equal Opportunity Fund. He graduated in 1994 with a degree in communications and received a master's degree in educational leadership from Kean University and a doctorate from Nova Southeastern University.
"I stand here proud to say education saved my life," Repollet said.
As head of the state Department of Education, Repollet will be tasked with finding a replacement for the PARCC exams and with revising the state's graduation requirements. Murphy has said he will drop New Jersey's longstanding rule that high school students must pass a standardized test in reading and math in order to graduate, something several other states have already stopped.
Repollet will also help shape the Murphy administration's influence on school choice and charter schools, one of the state's most hotly debated education policy issues.
Murphy said Repollet would help put the state on a path toward universal pre-K, as well.
Meanwhile, Murphy said he wants to "change the tone" of the way the state treats teachers, holding educators up "on a pedestal" and treat them with "respect."
The Democrat has been criticized for being too cozy with the NJEA. He said Friday he's a "big believer in organized labor."
"This is a state that used to celebrate and embrace organized labor," Murphy said. "We've gotten away from that."
Murphy has also vowed to fully fund the state's education formula after Christie shortchanged schools by $9 billion.
He hopes to come up with the money by raising taxes on millionaires, closing corporate tax loopholes, and legalizing recreational marijuana. But he has received pushback from some of the Democrats who lead the state Legislature on the millionaires tax and legal pot.
Murphy said Friday the state will "find a way" to fully fund schools if those proposals don't pass.
"I'm still hopeful and anticipating we'll have the same package that we campaigned on," he said.
People in New Jersey's education praise Murphy's pick of Repollet.
Donna Chiera, president of the state's American Federation of Teachers union, said Repollet is "accomplished and experienced."
Nicole Cole of the New Jersey Charter Schools Association said Repollet "understands traditional public schools and public charter schools, and it appears, to him, school type does not matter."
NJ Advance Media staff writer Adam Clark contributed to this report.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.