Philadelphia Inquirer,Christie Chronicles, Thursday, April 7, 2011

In NYC, Christie pushes education reform plan, trashes unions

By Matt Katz

NEW YORK - Gov. Christie linked failing schools in poor places like Camden to teen drug use, crime and pregnancy, and said that's why he wants to give tenure to teachers based on their effectiveness, rather than seniority, and give higher salaries to teachers of at-risk children.

"If I had gone to school in the city of Newark, I would not be governor, it's that simple," said Christie, whose parents moved from Newark to middle-class Livingston when he was 5 years old.

The reason why failing districts in poor cities cannot produce future governors, he said, is not because of money. It is because, simply, of the teachers' unions, and the "strangehold" they have over politicians, particularly Democrats.

"Some in political life are captives to a moneyed special interest that bullies and thugs it's way in my statehouse to get what they want," he said.

Christie said he wants to base job security on both students' test scores and evaluations by other educators, and get rid of the "last in, last out" system that leads to the layoffs of young, talented teachers and raises for poor teachers. Increased salaries, he said, should go to good teachers, not just ones who get extra degrees to contractually hike their pay.

"We should be paying good teachers more than we are paying them," he said. "We should be carrying those teachers on our shoulders to school every day because they're gold, and we should be paying them that way."

Christie spoke at a hotel off Central Park in Manhattan in an address sponsored by the Brookings Institution think tank.

Read tomorrow's Inquirer and Philly.com for a full recap of the speech, and reaction from the unions.

Star Ledger - Gov. Christie says reforming teacher tenure, improving student achievement come before his political career

Published: Thursday, April 07, 2011, 11:50 AM     Updated: Thursday, April 07, 2011, 11:57 AM

By Jessica Calefati/The Star-Ledger The Star-Ledger

NEW YORK — In a speech hosted by the Brookings Institution, Gov. Chris Christie is expected to announce that the success of his ambitious efforts to reform teacher tenure and improve student achievement are more important than his future in politics.

"I would rather lose an election and lose my career, rather than look back and realize that I did not do enough, or that I put myself and my career ahead of the future lives of the children of New Jersey," Christie said in prepared remarks for today's address at the Essex House in New York City.

Christie describes his education reform battle as "the fight that will define all of the other fights," and one that deserves bipartisan concern and action.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Christie's partner in an effort to improve the troubled Newark Public Schools, has recently made similar claims, staking his political future on the reform effort's success.

The Record - Gov. Christie pushes education agenda in Manhattan appearance

Thursday, April 7, 2011
Last updated: Thursday April 7, 2011, 1:10 PM

BY PATRICIA ALEX

The Record

STAFF WRITER

NEW YORK – New Jersey Gov. Christie continued the high-profile media blitz pushing his education agenda on Thursday with a speech in Manhattan where he renewed his call for tenure reform as a way to weed out bad teachers and reward good ones.

Christie said it was time to “force a resolution” to the issues that have left education lagging in New Jersey and the nation.

“The situation demands impatience,” Christie told an audience of about 50 at the event hosted by the Brookings Institution at the Essex House on Central Park West.

FILE PHOTO

Gov. Chris Christie is expected to deliver a speech on his education reform agenda today at The Brookings Institution, a public policy think tank in NYC.

The governor – who has warred with the state’s largest teacher’s union since before taking office last year – used the occasion to take several shots at the group.

“I can’t talk to this union because they are completely clueless,” Christie said of the New Jersey Education Association. “So I have been going out … and talking to teachers and they know we need reform.”

Christie’s hour-long remarks reiterated many of the themes he has made central to his push for changes in the state. He praised charter schools and merit pay as avenues for improving failing schools in urban districts. The governor talked about his own upbringing – he was born in Newark and his parents moved to Livingston so he and his siblings could attend better schools – as a catalyst for improving urban education in the state.

E-mail: alex@northjersey.com

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The Christie Reform Agenda: Making 2011 the Year of Education Reform

Addressing New Jersey’s Most Pressing Education Challenges

New Jersey’s Costly Education System Is In Need Of Reform & Accountability…

·         Including Federal Aid, New Jersey State And Local Governments Spent Approx. $25 Billion On Education For 2009-2010. (NJDOE)Ø  Total State Aid to Education was $10.3 Billion for 2009-2010, including Social Security taxes, retiree health care, and other school district expenses borne by the State.

·         Statewide Per Pupil Spending Is The Highest In The Nation At $17,620.

Ø  According to the National Center for Education Statistics, New Jersey spent an average of $17,620 per pupil for 2008-2009, the latest available data.

·         New Jersey Paid The 4th Highest Teacher Salaries In The Nation For ’08-’09, 17% Higher Than The National Average.

Ø  The average full-time teacher salary in New Jersey was $63,051 for 2008-2009.Ø  The National Estimated Average Teachers Salary was $53,910 for 2008-2009.

·         The Average Teacher Salary Increased 5.9% In Just Two Years From ’07-’08 To ’09-’10.

Ø  The average full-time teacher salary in New Jersey for 2007-2008 was $61,478.Ø  The average full-time teacher salary in New Jersey for 2009-2010 was $65,123.(Sources: NJDOE, NCED)

·         Education Spending Has Increased 343% From 1985 To 2012, With Spending In Abbott Districts Nearly DOUBLING As A Percentage Of The Total State Budget During That Same Period.

Ø  State aid to school districts increased from $1.73 Billion in 1985 to 7.68 Billion in 2012 (proposed).Ø  During the same period, spending in the 31 Abbott Districts went from 8.9% to 15.5% of total state budget expenditures in all departments.

·         Today, Nearly 6 Of Every 10 State Dollars Spent On All PreK-12 Education Costs Goes To Just 31 Abbott Districts.

Ø  Spending in Abbott Districts skyrocketed from $685 Million in FY 1985 to $4.5 Billion in FY 2012 – representing a 61% increase in the proportion of all PreK-12 spending devoted to Abbott Districts.Ø  Meanwhile, the percentage of New Jersey’s population residing in the Abbott Districts actually dropped 3% over the same period.  

But Despite Consistently High Education Spending Focused In The 31 Abbott Districts, New Jersey’s Achievement Gap Persists…

·         Education Spending In New Jersey Has Skyrocketed As A Proportion Of Total State Budget Expenditures, Increasing 564% In The Abbott Districts Since 1985. Yet, Those Billions Of Dollars In Resources Haven’t Translated To Higher Student Achievement For Our Neediest Children.

·         The Gap In New Jersey 4th Grade Math Between At-Risk Students And Those Not At Risk Did Not Change Significantly In 13 Years.

Ø  In 2009, students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch (indicator of poverty) had an average score 26 points lower than students not eligible for free/reduced-price lunch. The performance gap was not significantly different from that in 1996 (32 points). (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2009)

·         The Gap In New Jersey 8th Grade Math Between Black Or Hispanic And White Students Did Not Change Significantly In 19 Years (More Than A Generation Of Students Or Nearly The Lifetime Of Abbott).

Ø  In 2009, the average score of black students was 34 points lower than that of white students. The gap was not significantly different from 1990 (38 points).

Ø  In 2009, the average score of Hispanic students was 30 points lower than that of white students. The gap was not significantly different from 1990 (37 points).

Ø  The gap in New Jersey eighth grade math between at-risk students and those not at risk did not change significantly in six years.

Ø  In 2009, students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch (indicator of poverty) had an average score 30 points lower than students not eligible for free/reduced-price lunch. The performance gap was not significantly different from that in 2003 (34 points).

·         The Gap In New Jersey 4th Grade Reading Between At-Risk Students And Those Not At Risk Did Not Change Significantly In Six Years.Ø  In 2009, students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch (indicator of poverty) had an average score 26 points lower than students not eligible for free/reduced-price lunch. The performance gap was not significantly different from that in 2003 (30 points).

·         The Gap In New Jersey 8th Grade Reading Between Black Or Hispanic And White Students Did Not Change Significantly In Six Years. The Gap Between At-Risk Students And Those Not At Risk Also Did Not Change Significantly Over The Same Time Period.Ø  In 2009, the average score of black students was 31 points lower than that of white students. The gap was not significantly different from 2003 (29 points).

Ø  In 2009, the average score of Hispanic students was 25 points lower than that of white students. The gap was not significantly different from 2003 (28 points).

Ø  In 2009, students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch (indicator of poverty) had an average score 27 points lower than students not eligible for free/reduced-price lunch. The performance gap was not significantly different from that in 2003 (30 points).

(Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress)

The Year of Education Reform

Governor Christie’s Reforms Build on a Record of Improving Education in New Jersey

“This is the fight. It is not a Democratic fight. It is not a Republican fight. This is a fight where Republicans and Democrats can stand united…There is nothing more important to the future of our country than this fight, because this is the fight that will define all of the other fights. This is why we all must have the stomach and the strength to take it on…Failure is not an option. Which is why I would rather lose an election and lose my career, rather than look back and realize that I did not do enough, or that I put myself and my career ahead of the future lives of the children of New Jersey.”

-          Governor Christie at the Foundation for Excellence in Education, 11/30/2010

Governor Christie Has Made Education Reform A Top Priority In His Administration’s First 14 Months

·         Declared 2011 the year of education reform and introduced far-reaching education reform agenda to bring quality education to every New Jersey child.

·         Increased funding for every New Jersey school district by $250 million in the FY 2012 budget

·         Approved 23 new charter schools in January 2011, continuing his commitment to high-quality charter expansion and greater choice that will allow for a total of 97 charter schools serving approximately 27,000 students to be operating by September 2011, offering students and parents more and better educational choices.

o   On March 31, 2011, the New Jersey Department of Education received 58 applications for new charter schools.

Introduced reforms to the New Jersey charter law to strengthen and expand high quality charter schools in New Jersey by improving the authorizing and application process, encouraging more charter school applicants, creating greater flexibility with administration and finances, and allowing districts to convert failing public schools into charters.·         Increased funding for charter schools by $4.6 million in the proposed FY 2012 budget.

·         Signed (S-920) legislation to encourage public-private partnerships for higher education institutions.

·         Implemented a proposal to cap and reform school administrators' salaries, keeping scarce tax dollars in the classroom.

·         Signed and is aggressively implementing A-355/S-1073 establishing a permanent Interdistrict Public School Choice Program.

o   Increased Interdistrict Public School Choice aid by $12.5 million in the proposed FY 2012 budget.

·         Approved $270 Million in facilities grants for school districts with more than 175 Regular Operating Districts statewide eligible for partial state funding of 740 projects.

·         $45.3 million in School Improvement Grants targeted to improve schools and opportunities for thousands of urban children

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·         Announced nearly $16 million in state funds for 25 Vocational School District Facilities Projects.

Ordered and directed the creation of the New Jersey Higher Education Task Force.

o   Governor Christie received Higher Education Task Force recommendations and signed Executive Orders to create Governor’s Higher Education Council and Advisory Committee on Graduate Medical Education in January 2011. The Governor appointed members to both the Governor’s Higher Education Council and the UMDNJ Advisory Committee in April 2011. 

Received Education Effectiveness Task Force report and endorsed it as a blueprint to remaking public education in the state and refocusing the fundamental goals of the system to center on high student achievement and results for children.

Highlighted the importance of education for our future generations in his keynote address at the Foundation for Excellence in Education in Washington, D.C.

Announced pilot educational program between Harlem Children’s Zone and City of Paterson.

Joined a nationwide movement as he signed proclamation designating January 23rd-29th, 2011 as School Choice Week in New Jersey.

Released the School Development Authority’s New Capital Program, advancing 10 programs in the 2011 fiscal year, spending an estimate $584 million, based on formal criteria for the first time.

Signed Executive Order 58 creating the Education Transformation Task Force to conduct a top to bottom review of education regulations that are hurting the performance of our public schools.

Governor Christie Continues His Push To Strengthen Schools And Education In New Jersey

·         The governor supports giving parents and children a choice to attend better schools.  

o   "We will do many good things for charters schools. In fact, I’ve held charter schools harmless in this budget because you already pay enough," he told more than 250 charter school educators. "There are going to be more charter schools a year from now than there are today." (MaryAnn Spoto, “N.J. Gov. Chris Christie leaves charter school budget untouched,” The Star-Ledger, 3/18/2010)

o   “You are the masters of doing more with less because you have been consistently underfunded by the statute that was passed to establish you,” Christie said of charter schools. “…This is a fight worth having and I’m doing what I know is right,” Christie said. “New Jerseyans are hard workers who speak loudly and care deeply. It’s about time you’ve had some leadership to match.” (Kimberly Steinberg, “Christie puts state’s support behind charter schools,” Atlanticville, 3/25/2010)

o   “We want to have a robust public inter-district choice program so that those districts that are succeeding are encouraged and incentivized to allow children from failing districts to come there because the bottom line is we want all types of choice for folks.” (Governor Chris Christie at the American Federation of Children National Policy Summit Dinner in Washington, D.C. on Monday, May 3, 2010)

o   “Our basic principle is this, and I know this is yours, parents and children deserve a choice.  Now this a very, very simple straight forward principle that you would think in the abstract, that no one can disagree with. But let's not stop there, let's add the layer onto it, that parents and children who are being failed by a public school system who's cost are exuberant, and who's results are insulting, deserve a choice.” (Governor Chris Christie at the American Federation of Children National Policy Summit Dinner in Washington, D.C. on Monday, May 3, 2010)

·         Students deserve high-quality and accountable teachers; teachers deserve to be rewarded for excellent achievement in the classroom.

o   “Merit pay, tenure reform, greater teacher accountability -- they are all part of Gov. Chris Christie's promises for improving public education in New Jersey.”  (John Mooney, “School reforms can’t proceed without data,” The Star-Ledger, 5/11/2010)

o   "I believe that merit pay has to go to individual teachers. I believe that if there are layoffs, that those layoffs should be based upon merit and not based upon seniority…"  (Teacher union fumes as Governor Christie ties performance pay to bid for $400 million grant, Associated Press, 6/2/2010)

o   On education, he said he wants to change the tenure system and reiterated his support for teacher pay based on student performance.  (Matt Friedman, “Gov. Christie pushes reform agenda for N.J. ethics rules, pension and health benefits,” NJ.com, 9/8/2010)

o   Among the ideas the governor is pushing is paying for teachers based on their performance.  (“Christie Slams N.J. Teacher Union, Calls For Ed. Reform,” CBS-2 New York, 9/7/2010)

o   As an example of the need for education reform, he pointed at Newark, spending $24,000 per student – mostly state funded per the Abbott ruling – yet has a 50 percent dropout rate. He pitched a new teacher merit pay system, among other things.  (Timothy J. Carroll, “Christie reform: 'cleaning up the empties,'” PolitickerNJ, 9/7/201)

o   …He called for paying teachers partly based on how well their students perform. The idea is to hold educators accountable…  (Geoff Mulvihill, “NJ governor says he'll start laying out reforms,” Associated Press, 9/7/2010)

·         Reforming higher education is vital to creating jobs and spurring economic growth.

o   "New Jersey's higher education institutions must be given the necessary tools to plan their growth through creative and responsible arrangements that do not leave the funding burden solely on institution budgets," said Governor Christie.  "Public-private partnerships are a key mechanism to provide that flexibility and accommodate growth in our state and county colleges, while creating jobs and spurring economic growth.  The legislation signed today provides needed tools that will be critical to maintaining our colleges' status as world-class learning centers.  (Governor Christie Signs Legislation to Encourage Public-Private Partnerships for Higher Education Institutions, 5/5/2010)

o   "To compete and be prosperous in this 21st century economy, we must have a system of higher education that keeps up with the demands of today's changing marketplace," Governor Christie said. "New Jersey's institutions of higher learning are critically important to the economic growth of our state and must be afforded the necessary tools to stay competitive.” (Governor Christie Takes First Steps Toward Long-Term Higher Education Reform by Creating New Jersey Higher Education Task Force, 5/7/2010)

·         The governor’s bold reforms have garnered considerable attention of opinion makers in New Jersey and around the country.

o   “Christie vows to proceed with the changes he wants anyway. That could be good since some of his ideas are more in line with the reforms that the Obama administration wants to make to improve public education, including linking teachers' pay to student performance and making it easier to fire bad teachers. The plan would also eliminate seniority and use teacher effectiveness to make job cuts. Those are much-needed steps to improve failing schools and hold educators accountable for student achievement. It means rewarding the best teachers and principals.”  (“Editorial: There's a better way,” Inquirer, 6/5/2010)

o   “What he is doing is what government should be doing - freeing the citizenry to decide for themselves and forcing marginal or poor schools to heed their “customer base” or "go out of business". The message is market based but aimed at government run education - "the free ride is over". Christie points out that in Newark, NJ, taxpayers pay $24,000 per pupil per year. So in a class of 20 you have almost a half a million dollars spent. I'd like to say "invested" but it’s hard to do with a system Christie characterized as an "absolutely disgraceful public education system." So cheers to Christie.”  (Bruce McQuain, “Speaking truth to power – New Jersey style,” Washington Examiner, 6/4/2010)

o   “…Areas in which Christie insists he has no intention of compromising — like merit pay and abolishing seniority-based layoffs...The governor said he was so committed to the items on his reform agenda that “they should not be compromised to achieve a contrived consensus among the various affected special-interest groups.” Good for him…But it’s refreshing to see a politician who not only understands the need for serious education reform but is wholly committed to it — in action as well as words. Well done, governor.” (“Grade-A governor,” New York Post, 6/6/2010)

o   “We need children to thrive in every one of our neighborhood public schools. That tough job will be done by teachers, not bureaucrats. Leadership is a tricky thing, and diagnosing problems and hypothesizing about big-picture improvements are a lot easier than actually improving education. The governor has made good headway on superintendent pay, with new caps and bonuses based on merit. Perhaps that can serve as a way forward on merit pay for teachers.” (“Race is on,” The Record, 8/1/2010)