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1-26-10 Articles on Education Transition Team Report & Agency changes in Trenton
'Gov. Christie transition report recommends tougher N.J. rules for teacher tenure' Star-Ledger.......... 'Christie outlines agency shakeup' Associated Press

Gov. Christie transition report recommends tougher N.J. rules for teacher tenure By Star-Ledger Staff January 25, 2010, 6:01PM TRENTON -- New Jersey should make it more difficult for public school teachers to earn tenure, eliminate some school budget votes and provide a "robust" slate of school choice options for parents, according to the education transition committee report advising new Gov. Chris Christie. The 25-page report, which also looked at higher education, included dozens of recommendations, from requiring teachers to work longer before getting tenure, to freezing salaries for "employees at all levels" in schools next year if other public employee salaries are frozen. Patti Sapone/The Star-LedgerLt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, left, and Gov. Chris Christie invite 4th grade students from Colts Neck, Conover Road Elementary School into his office on his first day of work in Trenton. Some say that some of the changes suggested — such as a teacher salary freeze — can’t be done. "We don’t think so. You’re talking about injecting yourself in the middle of the collective bargain (process)," said Steve Wollmer, spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teacher’s union. But a Christie spokesman said the report is a starting point. "We recognize some of the recommendations in the report are alarming to certain vested interests and constituencies ... but we’re not here to maintain the status quo," said Christie press secretary Michael Drewniak. The report was one of 19 issued last week, recommending changes throughout state government. The schools report was in turn supportive and critical. It said new high school graduation requirements "have the potential to ratchet up student achievement," but districts should be surveyed to see if they have the facilities needed for them. It cited the "positive impact" of preschool in low-income districts, but said suspending further expansion "makes sense in the current economic climate." The report talked repeatedly about "the sheer volume and onerous requirements of regulations" covering schools, calling for streamlining or even putting a moratorium on some. And it suggested relieving school districts of the yearly obligation to put their budgets before voters; it said Christie should support pending legislation that would let districts set budgets without voter approval, if budgets meet the state’s 4 percent budget cap, and are approved by the the state education commissioner. Regarding tenure, the report recommends teachers work for five years instead of three before becoming eligible. The NJEA objects. "If the district is good at hiring and mentoring ... if you do what you’re supposed to do in the first three years, you’re going to know if somebody is cut out to be a good teacher," said Wollmer. The report also says the state should open five to 10 more charter schools by the fall. The report also delves into higher education, which in New Jersey means 12 major public colleges, universities or institutes; and 19 community colleges. New Jersey ranks 50th in the U.S. in the number of public baccalaureate seats it provides for high school graduates, the report said, and has the highest out-migration of college students. Some 30,000 students a year leave, while only 3,600 students are imported. New Jersey is also just about the only state doesn’t provide capital support to higher education institutions, the report said. The report calls for "a realistic, long-term plan to support the capital facilities development of the state’s higher education institutions," but does not offer a dollar amount. It also recommends eliminating the state Commission on Higher Education, replacing it with a small agency reporting to the governor’s office. Darryl Greer, executive director of the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities, said some recommendations are controversial, but overall they’re "on target." "We need to pay attention if we’re going to compete with other states, build the economy and create jobs," he said. By Kristen Alloway and Jeanette Rundquist ________________________________________ Previous coverage: • N.J. poll finds support for easier teacher dismissal, merit pay • Tom Moran: N.J. Gov.-elect Christie targets teachers' union with Schundler appointment • Once powerful teachers union faces tough times with Christie January 23, 2010 Christie outlines agency shakeup By BETH DeFALCO and ANGELA DELLI SANTI Associated Press Gov. Chris Christie's transition team has finished its review of state agencies and authorities and is recommending sweeping changes to shrink the size of New Jersey government and save money in the face of a projected $9 to $10 billion deficit for the 2011 budget year. The review, consisting of 19 reports submitted Friday by the 21 transition team subcommittees, suggests consolidating several agencies and authorities and eliminating others. Among the highlights are suggestions that the state stop subsidizing horse racing and its public television station; that a sales tax holiday be enacted to spur consumer spending; and that affordable housing requirements be relaxed. "These reports are full of bold ideas and recommendations for change from a bipartisan group of individuals from the private and public sectors," Christie said in a statement. "In the coming weeks, my Cabinet and I will be consulting with subcommittee members, reviewing each of the reports, and carefully considering these recommendations for improvement and change." Among the findings and suggestions: Transportation: Recommends consolidating and downsizing many authorities, halting all long-term projects that don't deal directly with safety or consumer use and requiring salaries for authority chiefs to come in line with state workers. Currently, 27 authority heads make more than the governor. Gaming: Create a public-private venture to market Atlantic City as a destination resort; reorganize the Sports and Exposition Authority's financial structure; restructure the horse racing industry -- projected to lose $22 million in 2010 and facing a $38 million deficit; privatize the lottery. Corrections: Recommends increasing prison space by double-bunking inmates and diverting nonviolent drug offenders to community programs. Taxes: Recommends a sales tax holiday to spur consumer spending, as 16 other states have already done. Housing: Recommends doing away with the Council on Affordable Housing, the agency that determines how much affordable housing towns and cities must provide. Community Affairs: Suggests more accountability for the billions in municipal aid that the Community Affairs department oversees, including having the Treasury Department enforce compliance. Many suggestions would require action by Legislature, controlled by Democrats. Pete McDonough, who worked as a spokesman for former Gov. Christie Whitman and was a member of Whitman's and Gov. Tom Kean Sr.'s transition teams, said the reports are invaluable for quickly identifying the issues Christie's new commissioners will face. How many of the recommendations get implemented rests with the new commissioners and the governor, McDonough said. "A lot of these policy recommendations will be put on the "to-do' list," McDonough said. "The governor will have to consider how they all fit together, and what priorities are top priorities." Some will become essential because of the state's fiscal constraints, while others will have to be postponed for the same reason, he said. "This is the start of the process, not the end," said Ingrid Reed, director of the New Jersey Project at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics. She commended recommendations that involve upgrading technology and modernizing management, two areas where New Jersey lags nationally. Bill Schluter, a former Republican state senator and current State Ethics Commission member, said Christie will have to remain a forceful leader if he is to get any of the sweeping changes enacted.