I highly doubt the new Governor plans on listening, but the NJEA put out an ad, which I've seen on TV hitting on the Governor's proposed budget cuts to education. In the ad, the Teacher of the year talked about being worried about the Governor's proposed cuts:
"Many local schools will have to increase class size, lay off teachers and cut important programs. ... And the even larger cuts you propose for the next school year will make it even harder for children to succeed."
The Governor didn't listen to the NJEA before, so I don't know that he'll start listening now. You can see the ad here:In advance of the Governor's budget address today, here is what the NJEA president had to say:
"This budget is a disaster for public school children and for older students who want to further their education beyond high school," said Keshishian. "On the other hand, this budget is an unconscionable gift to those earning more than $400,000 a year. Gov. Christie is slashing education in order to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy.
Confidant to Governor Christie and NJ State Senator Joe Kyrillos attended a Middletown Board of Education budget forum recently and started talking about how now is the time to allow "really smart people" to make decisions about how to handle the budget crisis that effects the school system due to the Governors budget cuts. He just doesn't think he's one of those really smart people apparently: (h/t Middletown Mike)
As pointed out by our friends at Down With Tyranny, a vote was held yesterday in the House with respect to the National School Lunch Program - a program that is even more necessary now given the state of the economy:
H.Res.362. It expresses the House's support for the goals and ideals of the National School Lunch Program and "recognizes that our pupils deserve access to high-quality, safe, and nutritious meals in school." It passed 403-13, every Democrat and 155 Republicans, including the entire GOP congressional leadership voting in favor.
And guess who was one of the 13?
Let's look at some numbers. There are approximately 200,000 children living in Bergen, Sussex and Warren Counties. Of that, there are 12,400 children in Bergen who are on reduced or free lunch programs due to need, over 2,300 more in Sussex County and another 1,900 in Warren County. That is one out of every twelve children in these three counties who can't afford a decent meal and rely on the National School Lunch Program.
And this is too offensive for Scott Garrett to support.
Garrett is very good at explaining away his unconscionable votes with a caveat such as "I agree in principle but..." or "I would have supported this, but....". Quite frankly, actions speak louder than words. Time after time and vote after morally reprehensible vote, Garrett shows where his loyalties lie. This is about struggling families. And just as his vote against clean drinking water shows, Garrett can't keep explaining away votes that show a pattern of disdain for the health and welfare of those in his district that he is supposed to represent.
What makes this worse is the fact that the BCDO is choosing to give Garrett a pass without even so much as a challenger to a man whose actions and record are nothing short of abominable.
The Senate Judiciary Committee adjourned last Monday before confirming Bret Schundler to lead the Department of Education, but finished things up today moving his nomination along to the full Senate. I figured this picture would be good for a caption contest:
Sometimes diaries here are like firecrackers that set off a crackling downpour of challenging comments. This diary definitely does - thanks, Helios. The convo started yesterday, and comments are still flying. What's your opinion? - Promoted by Rosi
As a teacher in New Jersey, I've been quite disturbed at the venom and hate-mongering that has been reported (and I would argue promoted) by the NJ press.
I responded with a letter to the editor, but I thought I'd post a longer, more detailed response here.
Kevin Manahan's "Good teachers should speak up for merit pay", is an ill-informed screed against New Jersey's teachers and our association the NJEA.
Manahan blasts the NJEA (and by extension all teachers in NJ) for not embracing the merit pay scheme hastily concocted in the state's poorly thought out "Race to the Top" funding application. While there is little to no evidence that merit pay actually works to improve student outcomes, NJEA's detractors completely ignore the hard work our union does every day to improve the quality of teaching in New Jersey by supporting strategies that have been proven to get results.
There is plenty of blame to go around, and that is the subject of a post for another day. And now the initial sting of Chris Christie's win over Jon Corzine is settling into a steady feeling that New Jerseyans are in for a rude awakening as a result of their collective votes. A perfect example of this contrast between the soon to be former and soon to be current Governor is education and the imminent appointment of Bret Schundler as education commissioner.
Sure, it may not have always been approached or framed in the best way, but one of the biggest signature issues that Corzine was proud of was that of education. Early childhood education, higher standards, improving and updating schools are just a few of the numerous accomplishments and tangible results achieved - and test scores that are near tops in the country.
"Whatever the Supreme Court did on funding formulas for him today does not excuse the failed education policies of this governor,"
Both Christie and Schundler have very different views on education than Corzine does. We already know that Christie thinks that early childhood education is no more than "babysitting". And for those who forgot, Christie has already committed to stop funding early childhood education for all but the Abbott school districts. Both Christie and Schundler are proponents of vouchers - a long-controversial program. Schundler has been one of the biggest proponents of this system (even writing about it in 2000), and is in a position to push NJ down this path.
This won't be the last time that the consequence of a Governor Christie will be apparent. Christie campaigned on an economic and social agenda that, on the most basic level (and I say this because he offered few details but gave an idea on a very high level) was very different from Corzine. He hasn't even been sworn in yet and we will soon see just how different it is - and what it means to the education, health and economic situation of New Jerseyans.
"They need to get realistic about the fact that change is coming, because it is," Christie said of the union, the New Jersey Education Association. "Frequently, the leadership of the NJEA has been a strong advocate for the status quo whether the status quo is succeeding or failing."
Christie used tough rhetoric when speaking about the NJEA and education throughout the campaign. You'll remember Christie declined to seek the NJEA endorsement last June, instead sending a letter:
The Christie campaign provided a copy of the letter. In it, Christie said he wanted to meet with union representatives to "engage in a frank dialogue about the future of our public education system," but that "doing so under the specter of an endorsement is difficult... that is why I will not be seeking the endorsement of your organization."
"Because I respect your members' contributions to our public education system, I want to speak honestly and openly with you to ensure you know exactly where I stand and for what I believe," he wrote.
The NJEA released an ad yesterday called worry, highlighting some of the concerns they say Chris Christie presents:The ad features a librarian talking about Christie's opposition of the family leave law, Christie's proposal for mandate free policies, his position on pre-k as babysitting and funding for public schools. Christie decided to not participate in the NJEA candidate screening process for a potential endorsement opting to do his talking if elected. I guess they have something to say to him before that happens.
General Election day may be over a month away still, but voters will head to the polls tomorrow to decide the fate of $440 million in school construction projects. From the NJ School Board Association:
In the same way families across the nation are seeking to make their homes more energy efficient, school boards are proposing questions asking voters to approve energy-saving initiatives. Ten of the 25 bond referendums on Tuesday's ballot specifically cite new windows, doors, boilers or HVAC systems; another eight seek solar panels.
For example, the Pennsauken School District proposes to demolish a school built in 1925 and replace it with the district's first energy efficient "green" school. Ocean City School District's Web site says its project would include replacing a 40-year-old electrical HVAC system with a more efficient gas system that is expected to save over $1.5 million during its lifespan. Solar projects are proposed in school districts in Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Monmouth, Salem and Union counties.
Of the total $440 million that is being requested, more than $157 million would qualify for state aid, either through one-time school-construction grants, annual "debt service aid" payments to school districts, or rebates through the state's Clean Energy program.
"This is the most school construction activity we've seen for one day since September 2005," said Mike Yaple, an association spokesman who has been tracking such referendums for a decade. "We're edging up toward almost half-a-billion dollars in school construction proposals. That's quite a bit."
I'll put the full list of districts and projects below the fold. The School board association says that this Tuesday is one of five dates available for special elections each year and the next eligible day is December 8. Do you usually vote in these school referendums?
Starting today, the 30 second ad will air on both broadcast and cable stations across New Jersey.
"Future" highlights the clear contrast between Jon Corzine who fights for what matters to New Jerseyans and Bush Republican Chris Christie's record of being wrong when it matters most. Jon Corzine was able to cut the budget by billions, but still increase the state's investment in public schools. Under his leadership, he expanded early childhood education and our students now rank at the top of the country in reading and math.
The ad details how Chris Christie would shift tax dollars for our public schools to private schools. He also says he would join Governors Sarah Palin and Mark Sanford and reject stimulus funds, forcing the layoffs of up to 35,000 teachers. Christie has even called early pre-school education "babysitting."
And the ad:
I'll put the documentation below the fold. This is another contrast ad that starts with the positive of what Governor Corzine has done to cut the budget while protecting education. It then closes on the negative with Christie talking about how he would shift tax dollars from public to private, reject stimulus funds forcing layoffs of teachers and called early preschool education "babysitting." The ad closes saying that Christie is wrong when it matters most.
In the :30 second ad U. S. Senator Robert Menendez speaks to the Latino community on Governor Corzine's education initiatives and his support for Governor Corzine's re-election in November.
The ad will be on broadcast television across the major New Jersey/NewYork metropolitan area and Philadelphia region.
And here's the ad:It's interesting, the only words Corzine speaks in the whole ad are, "Senator, come here!" The rest of the ad has Menendez talking in the foreground about education and his support for Corzine, while you see the Governor speaking with a group of people in the background. What do you think? I'll put the script in english below the fold.
The Governor has been focusing on education lately. He started with an Op-Ed talking about how "children only get one shot at being a child - one chance at a quality education." Yesterday, he touted the efforts of his administration in the area of school construction and 45 new schools since 2006:
During a tour of Perth Amboy's new early childhood center today, Gov. Jon Corzine announced the state has completed 45 new schools since January 2006.
Corzine said since 2006, the state School Development Authority has invested $5.3 billion in projects, which have generated an estimated 45,800 jobs and created 45,000 new student seats.
The governor also cited a recent report by the National Center for Education Statistics that shows New Jersey is one of only three states to narrow the achievement gap between black and white students in fourth grade reading and one of only 15 states to narrow the gap in fourth grade math between 1992 and 2007.
"We have a moral commitment to improve educational opportunities for the children of Camden and throughout New Jersey," Corzine said. "These results are a clear validation of our state's intense focus and commitment to preschool and early literacy interventions over the past few years and of our shared commitment to early childhood education."
Mayor Booker talked about education and the strong partnership he has with the Governor in this video put out by the campaign: There's more below the fold including a contrast with Christie turning down stimulus funds and more accomplishments the campaign is touting.
Goodness knows you wouldn't want your little Johnny or Janey indoctrinated with such radical ideas as taking responsibility for their own lives.
How dare the president presume to tell your children to pay attention to their teachers, listen to their parents and grandparents and "put in the hard work it takes to succeed?" Who is he to suggest that "when you give up on yourself you give up on your country?" Geez, if kids believed that sort of drivel, they'd never be able to blame the rest of the world for their failures.
Yes exactly, what a terrible idea to put in the minds of young children. Some people will oppose anything
Here's Jon Corzine's response today to the silly objection from some quarters to Barack Obama's plan to address the nation's school children next week in a broadcast on C-SPAN. The President, himself a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, who taught constitutional law at University of Chicago Law School, plans to encourage students to work hard and stay in school. Addressing those who object, Corzine says:
If talking with students about the need to work hard and stay in school is a political agenda, then I'm for President Obama's agenda.
Describing the state's investment in pre-school programs as one of the most important measures of his administration, Gov. Jon Corzine Tuesday announced the state will surpass 50,000 pre-school enrollments for a record number 51,100 children to be guided in programs this year.
The governor made the announcement at the grand opening of a new 10-classroom Plainfield pre-school financed through the African American Fund of New Jersey.
"While many tough budget decisions had to be made this year, the easiest of all decisions was to protect education," Corzine said. "The foundation of New Jersey's economy is its highly talented and well educated workforce which starts with our investment in early childhood education. Quality pre-school initiatives strengthen the state's workforce, support jobs for those who provide services and prepare students for a brighter economic future. I remain committed to ensuring that all students across the New Jersey have access to high-quality, full-day pre-school programs."
For his part, Chris Christie's surprisingly feisty and seemingly effective opponent Steve Lonegan was crystal clear that state funding of preschool is a bad idea on any level. Who knows, maybe Christie felt he needed to demonstrate that he was just as much a conservative as Lonegan. Maybe that's why he said the following about Governor Jon Corzine's support of the State Supreme Court's recent ruling that state funding of preschools should be expanded from the 31 urban Abbott districts to more than 80 school districts in suburban areas; "He's (Corzine) decided the government should baby-sit children? It's simply wrong."
Data on public higher education that Republican gubernatorial nominee Chris Christie provided during an appearance in Westfield last week has proved inaccurate.
During a press conference following a round table discussion on higher education issues, Christie cited an anecdote from a New Jersey guidance counselor saying that a New Jersey student attending either of two campuses of the State University of New York - Albany and Binghamton - would pay less money than attending Rutgers. Christie used the anecdote to reinforce a statement he made during the roundtable saying that New Jersey's public colleges have become too expensive for New Jersey students. Last week Christie toured the state with running mate Kim Guadagni holding a series of events on higher education.
A review of data for projected 2009-2010 costs at the three universities in question by Westfield Patch reveals that Rutgers would be cheaper for a New Jersey resident to attend, and live on campus, than either of the two SUNY schools referenced by Christie. A New Jersey resident living on campus at Rutgers is expected to pay $22,262 in tuition and fees for the 2009 - 2010 academic year. An out-of-state student at the University at Albany will be paying $24,886 in projected costs for next year. An out-of-state student at Binghamton University will be paying $27,280 in projected costs for next year. SUNY schools traditionally refer to themselves without using the SUNY moniker.
And when the Christie campaign was called on this latest instance of the facts undermining their message, we got this gem:
A Christie campaign spokeswoman said that the gubernatorial candidate had been using the story in order to emphasize his point on higher education. She said he had trusted the person who told him the information and started using it. The spokeswoman said that Westfield Patch's inquiries into the issue would cause the former U.S. Attorney to stop using the anecdote at future campaign stops.
"Chris was using a story he was told to prove a point about the affordability of New Jersey schools," Christie spokeswoman Maria Comella said, noting that while the candidate will stop using the anecdote he will continue pressing for lowering higher education costs.
He started to use a story without ever checking on whether it was true? I have a few tall tales I'd be willling to share with the GOP nominee for Governor if that's the way he does things. I'm sure there are a few people who Christie touts as his accomplishments who tried the same excuse. So in the same event, their Lieutenant Governor candidate didn't tell the whole story on why her son wouldn't go to school in NJ and Chris Christie used facts that were completely wrong. And that's on top of the fact that they say they'd turn down stimulus funds with "strings", but in the same breath say they'd accept education funding that has the same requirements. It's just another day on the campaign trail for the Christie campaign apparently. Great work by the Westfield Patch to catch this one.
AFL-CIO takes on the role of putting some of Chris Christie's campaign propaganda in proper focus. - - promoted by Rosi
As the critical governor's race approaches this fall, the New Jersey State AFL-CIO has launched a new website, The Real Chris Christie, to take a closer look at the Republican challenger and where he stands on key issues.
Chris Christie, who got a political appointment as a U.S. attorney after raising more than $350,000 for George W. Bush, is running as "reformer," but voters need to know what Christie would do as governor. Where does he stand on the critical issues facing New Jersey?
Christie wants to cut corporate tax rates at the expense of critical health, education and housing programs for working families.
Christie is proposing changes to health care that would allow insurance companies to deny claims and refuse to cover preventative care like mammograms.
Christie opposes funding for pre-K programs for young children.
Christie opposes paid medical leave for workers, project labor agreements and collective bargaining.
Christie has awarded no-bid contracts to friends and political allies.
Visit The Real Chris Christie to find out more. It's an important resource as we approach the Nov. 3 election.
During a round table discussion with Republican gubernatorial nominee Chris Christie and a group of parents, Guadagno said that her 16-year old son will be looking at colleges this summer with his father and he would not be looking in New Jersey. Her comment reiterated a key Christie/Guadagno campaign argument on higher education, saying that Gov. Jon Corzine has made public higher education more expensive in New Jersey.
"I have a 16-year old going around to colleges this year and we are not visiting a single college in New Jersey," she said. "That should be shameful on the current administration."
So while she was on talking point during the roundtable, she veered off script undermining the prior message and reasoning at a press conference following the event:
During a press conference following the event, Guadagno, the Monmouth County sheriff and former federal prosecutor, offered specfic reasons for her son's decision to look at schools outside New Jersey, that did not implicate the Corzine Administration.
During the press conference, Guadagno said her son, who is currently enrolled in a Navy Junior ROTC program in Monmouth County has been looking at colleges with a Navy ROTC program. There are no colleges with such a program in New Jersey.
Let me be clear, I admire her son and her family for their service and desire to join the Navy ROTC. But the cost of colleges in NJ has nothing to do with whether they offer a program her son wants. Don't let the truth get in the way of a good campaign message has been the Christie motto. She picked that one up real fast and was doing great, until the real reasoning just slipped out.
With more veterans returning from service, legislation that has already been approved by the Assembly and Senate unamiously is awaiting the Governor's signature:
The bill (A-3360) would require the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, in consultation with the Department of Veterans' and Military Affairs, to establish the Troops to College Program.
The program would assist New Jersey's public institutions of higher education in coordinating a comprehensive array of services to help veterans make the transition into the college classroom.
The bill also would require an online resource to consolidate pertinent information specifically for veterans attending that institution.
The bill sets certain criteria to assist veterans looking to return to school:
Under the program the commission would be required to include certain information on its Internet site that would be designed to assist veterans in accessing the higher education opportunities that exist in the state. The information must include, but need not be limited to:
Contact information for the campus veterans? assistance officer at each of the public institutions of higher education; and
Information on the array of programs and services available to veterans at each of the public institutions of higher education.
It's good to put all the information in one place, but the heavier lift is making sure our veterans can afford the cost of getting that education. Fulfilling that commitment will be much more difficult, but no less important to helping our veterans gain the necessary skills to succeed. This issue is sure to be front and center when Christie and Corzine get together with the Veterans for Education. Kudos to the efforts of the group for making their needs a more prominent issue in the campaign for Governor.
