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‘N.J. education commissioner Schundler: 'I made a mistake'
‘Schundler says he will continue to support Gov. Christie's education plan’
‘Schundler violated Christie's No. 1 rule’
‘In 'Race to the Top,' a false start by Education Comissioner Bret Schundler’
‘N.J. education commissioner Schundler: 'I made a mistake'
‘Schundler says he will continue to support Gov. Christie's education plan’
‘Schundler violated Christie's No. 1 rule’
‘In 'Race to the Top,' a false start by Education Comissioner Bret Schundler’
‘N.J. education commissioner Schundler: 'I made a mistake'
Friday June 4, 2010 BY LESLIE BRODY The record
Education Commissioner Bret Schundler took full blame Thursday for making a deal with the state’s largest teacher’s union on merit pay and layoff policies before checking with his boss.
“I made a mistake,” he told reporters simply. “It’s not myself who gets to make final decisions for the state of New Jersey. It’s the governor.”
Schundler’s mea culpa was his first public comment about Governor Christie’s last-minute rejection of a reform blueprint that the commissioner spent weeks negotiating with the New Jersey Education Association. Schundler said he should have presented his compromises to Christie before finalizing them with the union last Thursday.
He said that when the governor learned on Friday that the blueprint surrendered plans for individual merit pay and using teacher quality as a factor in layoff decisions, the governor was “very direct” in telling Schundler to add those elements back.
The high-profile do-over centered on the state’s application for Race to the Top, a federal competition with a June 1 deadline for submitting proposals to spur school reform. If New Jersey wins, it could get up to $400 million to fix failing schools, improve data systems and improve teaching. Union buy-in earns points; so does bold innovation.
The commissioner said he made concessions last week because for the NJEA, retaining seniority job protection was a “make-or-break” point in endorsing the state’s contest bid.
“The governor felt that we can’t compromise on that,” Schundler said. “You’re either going to have schools put kids first or it’s going to be about the adults.”
“The NJEA has a right to be a little bit angry at me” for not getting approval before making a deal, Schundler added. “I’m hoping we’ll all be able to move on.”
Christie’s public criticism of his education commissioner was a striking moment for Schundler, who has long enjoyed conservative accolades and colorful media profiles.
A 1981 Harvard graduate and former bond trader who once worked on Democrat Gary Hart’s presidential campaign, Schundler became disenchanted with the Democratic machine when he got involved in politics in Jersey City. He became Jersey City’s first Republican mayor in more than 75 years when he won office there in 1992. He was only 33, and soon he made Time magazine’s “50 for the Future” list of young up-and-comers.
Now 51, he has pushed for years for school choice, charter schools and fiscal restraint, and twice attempted to win the governor’s seat. Most recently he was chief operating officer at King’s College, a small Christian school in the Empire State building.
Schundler often refers to the discipline he learned as a Westfield High School football player – he was All-State – and takes on the fervent tone of a preacher when expressing his conviction that giving parents the chance to choose where their children go to school is a matter of social justice. He and his wife, Lynn, are raising two children in Jersey City; both attend private schools.
The commissioner’s efforts to build consensus stand in marked contrast to the governor’s aggressive style. When hundreds of angry teachers confronted Schundler on his way into a Republican club meeting in Wanaque last week, he spent an impromptu half-an-hour getting grilled about pension bills and budget cuts, and strained to convince the crowd of his views. As usual, he punctuated his points with the conciliatory phrase “if you will” and answered challenges with his signature phrase “I appreciate that question very much.”
Depending on the observer’s agenda, the last-minute change in the Race to the Top application was either a major blow to Schundler’s clout or just a minor issue of miscommunications in a new administration.
“His credibility is terribly damaged,” said Stephen Wollmer, spokesman for the NJEA. “Everyone assumed he had the authority to negotiate. …The commissioner, frankly, has been undressed in public.”
Wollmer said it would “take a while to get over this” and that was unfortunate, because “we were favorably impressed with the commissioner’s willingness to listen to professionals” in the education field. The union argues merit pay undermines teamwork and does nothing to improve teaching.
Derrell Bradford, executive director of Excellent Education for Everyone, an advocacy group that supports charters and school choice, downplayed the episode. He said budget cuts and education problems have become so critical to the public that the flap got unduly magnified.
“What in any other year would have been a procedural faux pas in a complex machine winds up being ‘Oh the world is ending,’” Bradford said. “The commissioner will be fine and his relationship with the governor will be fine. … Bret has an extremely long track record on education reform. … The governor picked him because of where he is and that won’t change.”
Still, some suggest that Schundler’s ability to do his job has been hampered. Joseph De Pierro, dean of the College of Education at Seton Hall University, said “now when people negotiate with him they’re not going to have confidence that what he says will stick with his boss. He’ll be constantly running back to the governor to make sure the governor is on board with whatever is being proposed. It’s going to limit his effectiveness.”
Schundler himself echoed the notion that he will have to be more careful about getting permissions on major policy points in the future. He predicted the union leaders would expect that too.
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if next time we are discussing something or we come to a final agreement, they might say make sure you check this with the governor,” he said. “I don’t know that I will need that reminder.”
E-mail: brody@northjersey.com
Education Commissioner Bret Schundler took full blame Thursday for making a deal with the state’s largest teacher’s union on merit pay and layoff policies before checking with his boss.
“I made a mistake,” he told reporters simply. “It’s not myself who gets to make final decisions for the state of New Jersey. It’s the governor.”
Schundler’s mea culpa was his first public comment about Governor Christie’s last-minute rejection of a reform blueprint that the commissioner spent weeks negotiating with the New Jersey Education Association. Schundler said he should have presented his compromises to Christie before finalizing them with the union last Thursday.
He said that when the governor learned on Friday that the blueprint surrendered plans for individual merit pay and using teacher quality as a factor in layoff decisions, the governor was “very direct” in telling Schundler to add those elements back.
The high-profile do-over centered on the state’s application for Race to the Top, a federal competition with a June 1 deadline for submitting proposals to spur school reform. If New Jersey wins, it could get up to $400 million to fix failing schools, improve data systems and improve teaching. Union buy-in earns points; so does bold innovation.
The commissioner said he made concessions last week because for the NJEA, retaining seniority job protection was a “make-or-break” point in endorsing the state’s contest bid.
“The governor felt that we can’t compromise on that,” Schundler said. “You’re either going to have schools put kids first or it’s going to be about the adults.”
“The NJEA has a right to be a little bit angry at me” for not getting approval before making a deal, Schundler added. “I’m hoping we’ll all be able to move on.”
Christie’s public criticism of his education commissioner was a striking moment for Schundler, who has long enjoyed conservative accolades and colorful media profiles.
A 1981 Harvard graduate and former bond trader who once worked on Democrat Gary Hart’s presidential campaign, Schundler became disenchanted with the Democratic machine when he got involved in politics in Jersey City. He became Jersey City’s first Republican mayor in more than 75 years when he won office there in 1992. He was only 33, and soon he made Time magazine’s “50 for the Future” list of young up-and-comers.
Now 51, he has pushed for years for school choice, charter schools and fiscal restraint, and twice attempted to win the governor’s seat. Most recently he was chief operating officer at King’s College, a small Christian school in the Empire State building.
Schundler often refers to the discipline he learned as a Westfield High School football player – he was All-State – and takes on the fervent tone of a preacher when expressing his conviction that giving parents the chance to choose where their children go to school is a matter of social justice. He and his wife, Lynn, are raising two children in Jersey City; both attend private schools.
The commissioner’s efforts to build consensus stand in marked contrast to the governor’s aggressive style. When hundreds of angry teachers confronted Schundler on his way into a Republican club meeting in Wanaque last week, he spent an impromptu half-an-hour getting grilled about pension bills and budget cuts, and strained to convince the crowd of his views. As usual, he punctuated his points with the conciliatory phrase “if you will” and answered challenges with his signature phrase “I appreciate that question very much.”
Depending on the observer’s agenda, the last-minute change in the Race to the Top application was either a major blow to Schundler’s clout or just a minor issue of miscommunications in a new administration.
“His credibility is terribly damaged,” said Stephen Wollmer, spokesman for the NJEA. “Everyone assumed he had the authority to negotiate. …The commissioner, frankly, has been undressed in public.”
Wollmer said it would “take a while to get over this” and that was unfortunate, because “we were favorably impressed with the commissioner’s willingness to listen to professionals” in the education field. The union argues merit pay undermines teamwork and does nothing to improve teaching.
Derrell Bradford, executive director of Excellent Education for Everyone, an advocacy group that supports charters and school choice, downplayed the episode. He said budget cuts and education problems have become so critical to the public that the flap got unduly magnified.
“What in any other year would have been a procedural faux pas in a complex machine winds up being ‘Oh the world is ending,’” Bradford said. “The commissioner will be fine and his relationship with the governor will be fine. … Bret has an extremely long track record on education reform. … The governor picked him because of where he is and that won’t change.”
Still, some suggest that Schundler’s ability to do his job has been hampered. Joseph De Pierro, dean of the College of Education at Seton Hall University, said “now when people negotiate with him they’re not going to have confidence that what he says will stick with his boss. He’ll be constantly running back to the governor to make sure the governor is on board with whatever is being proposed. It’s going to limit his effectiveness.”
Schundler himself echoed the notion that he will have to be more careful about getting permissions on major policy points in the future. He predicted the union leaders would expect that too.
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if next time we are discussing something or we come to a final agreement, they might say make sure you check this with the governor,” he said. “I don’t know that I will need that reminder.”
E-mail: brody@northjersey.com
‘Schundler says he will continue to support Gov. Christie's education plan’
By Josh Margolin/Statehouse Bureau June 03, 2010, 5:11PM
TRENTON — State Education Commissioner Bret Schundler, after two days of public scolding from his boss Gov. Chris Christie, this afternoon admitted he struck a headline-grabbing compromise with the state's biggest teachers union without the governor's approval. He said he made a "mistake" and would not do it again. He has not considered resigning.
In his first comments since the controversy exploded Tuesday, Schundler told reporters after testifying before the state Senate Education Committee that he deserves the blame and he will continue to support and promote Christie's agenda of reforming state education policy.
Previous coverage:
"It was my mistake," Schundler told reporters after testifying before the Senate Education Committee at the Statehouse.
Schundler announced last Thursday that the Christie administration and the New Jersey Education Association reached a deal on terms of an application for up to $400 million in federal school funding. The deal was later termed a one-way compromise that gave NJEA everything and won nothing for the administration. The agreement called for the state to withdraw its push for merit-pay bonuses for teachers and for permission for districts to disregard seniority when deciding what teachers are to be laid off. With the deal, the NJEA offered its endorsement of the state's application.
When the application for Race to the Top funding was formally submitted Tuesday, the endorsement and agreement were both removed and the details were restored to the original terminology the NJEA opposed vocally. Christie scolded Schundler for stepping out of line and not informing him of the deal's terms. The governor also said he would never give in on the seniority and merit-pay issues that are critical planks of his education agenda.
Christie's announcement Tuesday shattered the fragile peace with the NJEA after only five days.
The governor and union have been feuding since last year's election in which the NJEA aggressively supported then-incumbent Jon Corzine.
Schundler confirmed the governor's explanation of what happened and blamed it on his own decision to give in to the NJEA on "make-or-break" points and announcing the deal before briefing the governor.
‘In 'Race to the Top,' a false start by Education Comissioner Bret Schundler’ By Star-Ledger Editorial Board, June 03, 2010, 5:45AM
Love him or hate him, you have to give Gov. Chris Christie this much: He is clear about what he wants.
And that makes it all the more baffling that his own education commissioner, Bret Schundler, could strike a compromise with the state teachers union that did such violence to the core principles the governor had set down on education reform.
Schundler, it turns out, was acting on his own without consulting the governor or his senior staff on the content of the compromises. He went rogue.
So it’s no surprise the governor smacked him down, in private and public, and rejected the compromise. The mystery is why
Schundler strayed so far from the governor in the first place, and how the governor allowed such a sloppy mistake to occur.
The dispute centers on the federal Race to the Top initiative, in which states compete for federal money by offering plans to reform their schools. New Jersey is eligible to win up to $400 million, a sum that would help enormously during these tough times.
To guide the states, President Obama spelled out a scoring system that gave points to those willing to embrace bold reforms. Among them are merit pay for teachers, tenure reform, linking teacher evaluation to student performance and encouraging innovative charter schools.
So far,so good. Both the governor and Schundler are big believers in these reforms.
The trouble began when Schundler agreed to dilute the reforms to win support from the union. His instincts were understandable. States win points if they can show broad support for reform.
But the New Jersey Education Association is a sclerotic old-school group that is opposed to most of these reforms. To win its support, Schundler had to give away too much. He agreed that layoffs would be determined by seniority, not by merit. And he agreed to water down the merit pay provisions to the point where they were meaningless.
This embarrassment undercuts Schundler’s credibility. But he is a talented and energetic commissioner whose integrity has never been questioned. If he can regain the governor’s trust, he can still be an effective commissioner.
As for the governor, a word of caution: If Washington is looking to reward states that have worked to form a consensus on education reform, his unceasing hostility to teachers can’t help.
He can stick to his principles on the substance of these reforms without picking fights every chance he gets. Then, perhaps, Schundler wouldn’t feel such a pressing need to mend fences.
‘Schundler violated Christie's No. 1 rule’ 6-3-10 The Record CHARLES STILE COLUMNIST
Education Commissioner Bret Schundler committed the cardinal sin of publicly opening his mouth before giving his boss a chance to muzzle him in private.
"I think if he is guilty of anything, he's guilty of just going public too quickly," Governor Christie said Tuesday. "So we had a conversation about that. I was very direct with him and I think he understands exactly what I said and why I said it."
In truth, though, Schundler is guilty of a far bigger crime — agreeing to concessions sought by the New Jersey Education Association, the powerful teachers union whose destruction is the organizing principle of the Christie administration.
Perhaps at any other time, Schundler's diplomacy would have been hailed as a breakthrough. He was able to get the union to make a small but significant concession on "merit pay" for teachers.
But in doing so, Schundler violated the Christie Prime Directive: Do not, under any circumstances, give ground to the "bullies of State Street," the administration's No. 1 — and permanent — foil. Any discussions with the powerful teachers union must result in its complete surrender or a stalemate, which is just as useful an outcome.
A stalemate allows Christie to accuse union leaders of intransigence, selfishly protecting lavish benefits at the expense of recession-weary taxpayers. Republican and independent voters love it. Conservative think tanks love it. So does New Jersey 101.5 talk radio. Compromise is seen as code for capitulation, cravenness.
Schundler apparently never got that memo. Instead, he trumpeted the fruits of his bargaining — the union's decision to endorse the Christie administration's Race to the Top application, an Obama administration competition designed to prod states to overhaul their education systems with merit pay, more charter schools, and tenure and other reforms.
In short, Race to the Top promotes just about everything the NJEA views as a threat to its power. The stakes are high — New Jersey could collect $400 million in federal school aid if selected. Dozens of states filed their applications by Tuesday's deadline.
Christie backed a series of sweeping reforms when he announced the outlines of the application last month. A teacher's job evaluation would
be heavily dependent on student test scores. Job performance would become the determining factor in layoffs, not seniority. Tenure would be stretched from three to five years. A "bonus pool" of money from the state would be split between strong teachers and their schools.
Despite NJEA resistance, Schundler opened a dialogue, hoping to improve the state's chances with an NJEA endorsement. It should be noted that in the 1990s, Schundler was the darling of the conservative "school choice" movement that championed charter schools and school vouchers as the antidote to failing urban schools.
Headstrong in his advocacy, Schundler was an undisciplined preacher of the school choice gospel, making him easy prey for the Democratic Party smear machine in the 2001 governor's race. He was easily defeated by Democrat Jim McGreevey.
But Schundler was also the popular mayor of Jersey City. It was a job that required him to confront and compromise with police, fire and municipal employee unions. It's essential to governing.
Over the last few weeks, he reached a compromise with the NJEA, a watered-down version of the original application. The "bonus pool" was replaced with a new "merit pay pilot program," that was voluntary and did not require schools to hand out merit bonuses to individual teachers. Teachers' job evaluation was less dependent on student scores. Three-year tenure remained intact.
And basing layoffs on performance instead of seniority? The idea didn't make the cut, a decision that rankled Christie.
"In what other industry does that happen?" he said Tuesday.
Christie said he was in the dark about the deal and was startled to learn of it in the newspaper on Friday. It didn't help matters that Jim Gearhart, the popular conservative 101.5 morning talk show host, was hammering Christie for capitulating to NJEA demands – a far cry from the station's pro-Christie praise.
Schundler spent the holiday weekend revising the application. The NJEA accord was dead, the compromise replaced by the bolder ideas of the original application, which Christie noted is more in sync with what President Obama's administration wants.
He also called Gearhart on Wednesday to explain his decision and to remind listeners that Schundler meant well but was wrong, but now everybody is on the same page, moving forward. Those comments did little to halt rumors of a Schundler resignation on Wednesday. Schundler did not return calls seeking comment, but he plans to take reporters' questions after a Senate hearing today.
Did all this pre-deadline tumult jeopardize the state's chances of winning? Some argue that the lack of union support dooms it. Christie and others say its boldness compensates for the lack of union blessing. But others say that the Obama administration is not going to boost the popularity of a rising Republican star with a cash prize.
And besides, why waste money on a state where the governor and the powerful union are fighting all the time?
That sentiment didn't seem to bother Christie. He ripped into his favorite target, the NJEA.
"The teachers union is completely out of step," he said.
E-mail: stile@northjersey.com
Education Commissioner Bret Schundler committed the cardinal sin of publicly opening his mouth before giving his boss a chance to muzzle him in private.
"I think if he is guilty of anything, he's guilty of just going public too quickly," Governor Christie said Tuesday. "So we had a conversation about that. I was very direct with him and I think he understands exactly what I said and why I said it."
In truth, though, Schundler is guilty of a far bigger crime — agreeing to concessions sought by the New Jersey Education Association, the powerful teachers union whose destruction is the organizing principle of the Christie administration.
Perhaps at any other time, Schundler's diplomacy would have been hailed as a breakthrough. He was able to get the union to make a small but significant concession on "merit pay" for teachers.
But in doing so, Schundler violated the Christie Prime Directive: Do not, under any circumstances, give ground to the "bullies of State Street," the administration's No. 1 — and permanent — foil. Any discussions with the powerful teachers union must result in its complete surrender or a stalemate, which is just as useful an outcome.
A stalemate allows Christie to accuse union leaders of intransigence, selfishly protecting lavish benefits at the expense of recession-weary taxpayers. Republican and independent voters love it. Conservative think tanks love it. So does New Jersey 101.5 talk radio. Compromise is seen as code for capitulation, cravenness.
Schundler apparently never got that memo. Instead, he trumpeted the fruits of his bargaining — the union's decision to endorse the Christie administration's Race to the Top application, an Obama administration competition designed to prod states to overhaul their education systems with merit pay, more charter schools, and tenure and other reforms.
In short, Race to the Top promotes just about everything the NJEA views as a threat to its power. The stakes are high — New Jersey could collect $400 million in federal school aid if selected. Dozens of states filed their applications by Tuesday's deadline.
Christie backed a series of sweeping reforms when he announced the outlines of the application last month. A teacher's job evaluation would
be heavily dependent on student test scores. Job performance would become the determining factor in layoffs, not seniority. Tenure would be stretched from three to five years. A "bonus pool" of money from the state would be split between strong teachers and their schools.
Despite NJEA resistance, Schundler opened a dialogue, hoping to improve the state's chances with an NJEA endorsement. It should be noted that in the 1990s, Schundler was the darling of the conservative "school choice" movement that championed charter schools and school vouchers as the antidote to failing urban schools.
Headstrong in his advocacy, Schundler was an undisciplined preacher of the school choice gospel, making him easy prey for the Democratic Party smear machine in the 2001 governor's race. He was easily defeated by Democrat Jim McGreevey.
But Schundler was also the popular mayor of Jersey City. It was a job that required him to confront and compromise with police, fire and municipal employee unions. It's essential to governing.
Over the last few weeks, he reached a compromise with the NJEA, a watered-down version of the original application. The "bonus pool" was replaced with a new "merit pay pilot program," that was voluntary and did not require schools to hand out merit bonuses to individual teachers. Teachers' job evaluation was less dependent on student scores. Three-year tenure remained intact.
And basing layoffs on performance instead of seniority? The idea didn't make the cut, a decision that rankled Christie.
"In what other industry does that happen?" he said Tuesday.
Christie said he was in the dark about the deal and was startled to learn of it in the newspaper on Friday. It didn't help matters that Jim Gearhart, the popular conservative 101.5 morning talk show host, was hammering Christie for capitulating to NJEA demands – a far cry from the station's pro-Christie praise.
Schundler spent the holiday weekend revising the application. The NJEA accord was dead, the compromise replaced by the bolder ideas of the original application, which Christie noted is more in sync with what President Obama's administration wants.
He also called Gearhart on Wednesday to explain his decision and to remind listeners that Schundler meant well but was wrong, but now everybody is on the same page, moving forward. Those comments did little to halt rumors of a Schundler resignation on Wednesday. Schundler did not return calls seeking comment, but he plans to take reporters' questions after a Senate hearing today.
Did all this pre-deadline tumult jeopardize the state's chances of winning? Some argue that the lack of union support dooms it. Christie and others say its boldness compensates for the lack of union blessing. But others say that the Obama administration is not going to boost the popularity of a rising Republican star with a cash prize.
And besides, why waste money on a state where the governor and the powerful union are fighting all the time?
That sentiment didn't seem to bother Christie. He ripped into his favorite target, the NJEA.
"The teachers union is completely out of step," he said.
E-mail: stile@northjersey.com
