| ||||||||||||
'New Jersey will apply for federal stimulus money for education,' - The Record The Corzine administration reversed course Monday and said it would apply in January for the first round of competition for federal stimulus money that could bring more than $200 million to New Jersey’s public schools..."
'Corzine seeks $200M of federal stimulus money for N.J. schools' - The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk
"...The N.J. Department of Education had said it would not participate in the first round and instead let the Christie administration set its own agenda, the report said..."
'N.J. gets C rating on laws governing charter schools'
- STAR-LEDGER "...The Center for Education Reform, which advocates for charter schools and school choice, found New Jersey's laws fell right in the middle -- 17th strongest --among the 40 states and districts that allow charter schools..." New Jersey will apply for federal stimulus money for education The Record BY LESLIE BRODY AND PATRICIA ALEX Last Updated: Monday December 7, 2009, 6:36 Pm The Corzine administration reversed course Monday and said it would apply in January for the first round of competition for federal stimulus money that could bring more than $200 million to New Jersey’s public schools. The change in direction came after reports in The Record revealed that the state’s decision to wait for the second round had upset some educators who were afraid New Jersey might lose out. Stiff competition for $4.35 billion in Race to the Top funds is designed to spur major reform. Last week the New Jersey Department of Education said it would sit out the first round so that incoming Governor Chris Christie could set his own agenda in applying for the grant in the second round in June. The first deadline is Jan. 19, the day Christie takes office. Although New Jersey was one of the few states planning to skip the upcoming round, the department repeatedly insisted that the state had nothing to lose by waiting. However, advocates, lawmakers and Christie’s own transition team criticized the department for delaying amid concerns that the state might lose out on money it sorely needs. On Monday Education Commissioner Lucille Davy said her staff would now work with the transition team to get the application ready for January. “It is very clear they want us to move forward,” Davy told the state senate’s education committee, where she had come to answer questions about Race to the Top. Davy said the department aims to hire a consultant this week to help prepare for the deadline six weeks away. Christie’s transition team did not return calls for comment. Some advocates, however, applauded the decision to pursue the grant now. “This is great because New Jersey is well-positioned to win this money and move our schools forward,” said Irene Sterling, director of the Paterson Education Fund. Sterling said the state was in a good position to compete because it has already laid the groundwork in some areas the money would target, such as expanding quality charter schools and revamping data systems. Davy would not detail how she would coordinate with the transition team for its input, what her grand vision for change would include, or how she would invite local districts to participate. Applications are enormously complex because they require buy-in from superintendents, school board leaders and unions. Davy told the senate committee her department had been working on the grant application before the elections, but after the final rules for Race to the Top were published in mid-November, the transition team had told her to stop the process. Last week the transition team spokeswoman said Christie originally wanted the state to compete in the first round, but then agreed to postpone because the Corzine staff did not seem ready to make a thorough, successful pitch. On Monday, senate education committee chairwoman Shirley Turner asked Davy whether the Race to the Top money – if New Jersey wins any — would come with preconditions. “There will be lots of strings attached,” Davy answered. Davy noted that the money can’t be used to plug holes in the state budget; it must go to projects proposed in the application as models for reform. Asked about her overall vision for improving schools, Davy pointed to the critical importance of boosting early education. She said the state’s investment in urban preschools in recent years was working: she had visited many classrooms in poor neighborhoods where young children were as engaged as peers who had more advantages – they were singing songs, raising their hands to answer questions and counting by 2s to 50. “Early childhood education is the most important investment the state can make,” she said. While Gov. Corzine increased spending on public preschools and wanted to expand them outside the poor cities. Christie has said the state cannot afford expanding preschools beyond the Abbott districts. Turner advised Davy to “talk with the incoming administration so we all understand where we’re going and how we’re going to get there… Too many of our kids are failing to graduate high school.” The Obama administration wants to award Race to the Top money to states that show creative ways to develop better teachers, use data to track students, turn around failing schools, and close the achievement gap between students from different backgrounds. Justin Hamilton, spokesman of the federal Department of Education, clarified its position late last week to say that it expects a “robust competition” in the second round and “a state that chooses not to apply in Phase One will not be left out in the cold.” One advantage to vying in January, he said, is that states that don’t make the first cut will get feedback on how to fix their applications for the second round. E-mail: brody@northjersey.com and alex@northjersey.com
Corzine seeks $200M of federal stimulus money for N.J. schools
By The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk
December 08, 2009, 7:12AM
TRENTON -- In a reversal, the Corzine administration said it would apply next month for federal stimulus money that could get more than $200 million for the state's public schools, a report in NorthJersey.com said.
Some educators did not approve of the state opting out of competing for "Race to the Top" funds, a government program tied to major education reform, according to the report. The N.J. Department of Education had said it would not participate in the first round and instead let the Christie administration set its own agenda, the report said.
N.J. gets C rating on laws governing charter schools
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
jeanette rundquist
STAR-LEDGER STAFF
New Jersey's laws governing charter schools received a C from a Washington, D.C., nonprofit group that ranked the statutes governing charter schools across the nation.
The Center for Education Reform, which advocates for charter schools and school choice, found New Jersey's laws fell right in the middle -- 17th strongest -- among the 40 states and districts that allow charter schools.
Only three places received an A: California, Minnesota and the District of Columbia. And only 13 of 40 states have strong laws that do not require revision, according to the report released yesterday.
New Jersey drew a lower grade because its statute sets up only one authorizing agency -- the state Department of Education -- for charter schools, said Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform.
She said in some other states, universities or independent boards also approve and monitor charter schools.
Allen said New Jersey's laws also create "unnecessary processes" and "burdensome" paperwork requirements.
And the Center for Education Reform also said the state's school funding law creates "inequities" as it affects charter schools.
While New Jersey law calls for charter schools to receive 90 percent of what local districts get in many categories of state aid, districts are not required to share all types of aid with charters.
Allen said funding really falls at 65 to 75 percent of the level of other schools.
"We think charter schools are a large part of a four- or five-part equation to fix public schools," Allen said. "Having great charter schools, not just good, depends on how your law is written."
New Jersey has about 72 charter schools educating roughly 22,000 children.
The schools receive public funding but operate as an alternative to traditional public schools. Parents elect to send their children to them.
Charter schools were an issue during the state's recent gubernatorial campaign, and are in the national spotlight now, as the federal government gears up to distribute $4.3 billion in extra funding to reform-minded states under the "Race to the Top" program.
The New Jersey Charter Public School Association said while the state's charters have a "lot of positives to talk about," the ranking also shows "we have a lot of work to do," said Carlos Lejnieks, chairman of the association's board of trustees.
Jeanette Rundquist may be reached at (973) 392-7827 or jrundquist@starledger.com.
