To expand a little, the best way to simplify your JSP pages -- and avoiding scriptlets is a great first step -- is to follow good web application programming structure.
The most accepted practice is to structure your application using the "Model 2"
pattern in which servlets intercept the submission, perform work (such as DB operations) and forward on to a JSP to render the view.
This article may be helpful in describing the patterns and how they came about.