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Star Ledger - Christie refuses to talk about flouting N.J. Supreme Court if it orders more school funding
New York Times - For Next Chief of Newark Schools, Hard Choices
Njspotlight.com - (1)Cami Anderson's Almost Untroubled First Day as Newark Super, ... and... (2) Fine Print: "Alternate Route" for Superintendents…Changes in BOE administrative code would ease the way for school superintendents who do not have state certification
Star Ledger - Christie refuses to talk about flouting N.J. Supreme Court if it orders more school funding
New York Times - For Next Chief of Newark Schools, Hard Choices
Njspotlight.com - Cami Anderson's Almost Untroubled First Day as Newark Super,
Njspotlight.com - Fine Print: "Alternate Route" for Superintendents…Changes in BOE administrative code would ease the way for school superintendents who do not have state certification
Star Ledger - Christie refuses to talk about flouting N.J. Supreme Court if it orders more school funding
Published: Wednesday, May 04, 2011, 11:45 PM Updated: Thursday, May 05, 2011, 7:00 AM
NEWARK — Gov. Chris Christie flashed with anger today when pressed on his recent remark that he could defy the state’s highest court if it orders him to send more money to public schools.
"No comment," he said at a press conference to name a Newark school superintendent, visibly bristling when asked how seriously he is considering ignoring the state Supreme Court.
"I heard the question very clearly, and I don’t have any comment," Christie repeated minutes later when pressed by a second reporter. "If you just want to follow up on why I ‘no commented’ that, then my answer to you is no comment."
It was two weeks ago on a conservative-talk radio station that Christie said he could ignore the court ruling — which could result in him being ordered to spend $1.7 billion more money on schools.
Since then, he has gone mute, refusing to respond to repeated inquiries about possible defiance.
With a ruling from the Supreme Court possible at any moment, tensions are escalating. Christie might be mum now on whether he’ll ignore the court, but he is not shy about painting a dire picture of the state should the court rule against him — warning of possible draconian cuts, even singling out an individual justice.
The mere suggestion that he could just disregard a ruling sent the legal community into a frenzy.
"If the governor of the state says he’s not going to obey a court order, that’s a constitutional crisis," said Earl Maltz, a law professor Rutgers-Camden who works with the conservative Federalist Society. "There’s no doubt about it."
Legal scholars aren’t sure what would happen if Christie ignores a court order to pump additional money into public schools. Could Christie, a lawyer by trade, be disbarred? Could he be held in contempt of court — and thrown in jail? Or impeached, as some Democrats have suggested? Christie also won’t say if he’s looking into the possible ramifications.
"We’d be in uncharted terrain," said Paul Tractenberg, a Rutgers law professor and founder of the Education Law Center.
His comments could just be an effort to scare justices, not a serious consideration, said Rutgers law professor Frank Askin.
"Christie tends to shoot from the hip, so who knows," Askin said. "Was it really thought out in advance? I don’t know."
Christie won’t say if it was a throw-away comment or a peek at his plans.
"Buzz off," he said last week when asked about the issue in the Statehouse.
But his silence on whether he would defy the court doesn’t mean he has stopped talking about the case.
He has warned the state could suffer if he has to shift money from other parts of the budget to fulfill a court order on education. He conjures up the specter of shuttered hospitals and shrinking municipal police forces and fire departments. He is now including the potential cuts as part of his stump speech at his weekly town hall meetings.
"I’m not trying to send any message to the court. I’m communicating to my constituents," he said today about his warnings of the consequences of the court decision.
He’s also been sharply critical of Justice Barry Albin as the example of how "judges have lost their sense of place in our democracy."
Albin questioned how the governor could argue poverty in justifying the cuts when he opted to veto an extension of the so-called "millionaires tax." Albin and a spokeswoman have declined to comment on Christie’s remarks.
"When I want to send a message I say it, I don’t allude to it," Christie said. "When I think a justice has operated in an extra-constitutional fashion on the bench I say it and I say his name. I’m not trying to be cute here."
Christie has argued that he won’t raise taxes and it’s irresponsible to send more money to failing school districts. The courts are feeding a failed equation, Christie said, that more money equals better schools.
Assemblyman Joseph Malone (R-Burlington) expects voters to back Christie in any fight with the court.
"Most people I talk to are totally disgusted with the meddling," said Malone, a former teacher. "The Supreme Court has created a monster that people are tired of living with."
There just isn’t enough money to start increasing school spending, Malone said.
"To do that, we’d have to destory the rest of the state," he said. "The Supreme Court keeps saying, the money is the answer. It’s not the answer."
Askin doesn’t think the threats of defiance will materialize into action.
"He is just trying to put pressure on the court," Askin said. "They’re under a lot of pressure now. Several of the members don’t have tenure and they know Christie is not going to reappoint them if they defy them."
One year ago, Christie took the unprecedented step of declining to reappoint Justice John Wallace Jr., saying he was trying to remake a court that has become too activist.
Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) said Christie is trying to bully justices with his public broadsides.
"Can he write his own constitution? I think he wants to," Sweeney said. "He wants someone like a crier at town hall to come out and hold a document and say ‘King Christie declares, so be it law.’"
Some legal experts question whether Christie can even defy the court unilaterally since he shares responsibility for the budget with the Legislature.
"There are all of these questions about what the court will do," said Robert Williams, who is a law professor at Rutgers-Camden. "Then there’s the question, what will the other two branches do? It’s kind of like a sports event. These plays are so complicated and hard to predict with all of these moving parts."
A move to defy the court would be met with strong opposition from the Democratic-controlled Legislature and set up a confrontation over the budget.
In that scenario, Sweeney said lawmakers should pass the so-called millionaires tax, an income tax surcharge on residents making more than $1 million a year. Christie has already vetoed on version and say he won’t sign another.
Maneuvering by Christie to defy the court could be seen as an opening for his political opponents, who argue that ignoring a ruling would be a violation of the governor’s oath of office.
"That would be grounds for impeachment," said Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), even though Democrats lack the votes needed. "We are a nation of laws, and contempt for the law by the highest elected official of the state would be a grave offense that would undermine the integrity of the office of governor."
By Ginger Gibson and Chris Megerian/The Star-Ledger
New York Times May 4, 2011
For Next Chief of Newark Schools, Hard Choices
By WINNIE HU and NATE SCHWEBER
As the new superintendent of the Newark schools, Cami Anderson faces the monumental task of rescuing an urban school system that has long been mired in low achievement, high turnover and a culture of failure, despite decades of state intervention.
But Ms. Anderson, a tough-minded New York City school administrator, will have up to $200 million from the chief executive of Facebook and other prominent donors to help her confront the challenge.
It is the ultimate high-risk opportunity. In one of the most closely watched experiments in urban education, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who has built a national reputation on his criticism of teachers’ unions, and Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark, a leading champion of school choice, have pledged to turn around the 40,000-student system. On Wednesday, they announced their choice of Ms. Anderson to do the hard work.
“She knows that this change will not happen overnight,” Mr. Christie said as he introduced Ms. Anderson at Science Park High School. “It took us a long time to get to where we are now, and no leader, no matter how good, is going to be able to turn this around overnight.”
If her appointment is approved, as expected, by the state school board, Ms. Anderson, 39, will be paid $240,000 a year. She plans to start work in a few weeks.
She said Wednesday that she believed in teamwork, “not lonely heroes,” and intended to start by overhauling elementary schools. Citing her upbringing as one of a dozen siblings, some of them adopted from disadvantaged families, she said she saw in Newark’s students “the faces of my brothers and sisters who have overcome great challenges.”
“Judge me by my actions,” Ms. Anderson said. “Let me roll up my sleeves and dive in. Then we’ll talk.”
But as word spread that Ms. Anderson was in line for the job, many parents and others who have watched the school system struggle questioned whether she was the right choice. Derrell Bradford, executive director of E3 (Excellent Education for Everyone), an advocacy group that supports school choice, said she would face opposition because she was white, was appointed by the state and did not have roots in Newark. (She said Wednesday that she would start house-hunting there soon.)
“Newark, like Baltimore and Detroit, is highly insular and extraordinarily distrustful of outsiders,” Mr. Bradford said. “There is a very tight cultural and political narrative that exists in these cities, and if you did not spend your life reading and writing that narrative, you have to prove that you understand its significance.”
Success, he said, would depend on Ms. Anderson’s ability to win over people who had been repeatedly disappointed by the state’s efforts to improve the schools and critical of the initiatives prompted by the Facebook money.
“If selling reform is like selling a car, you can’t get people to buy it by showing them a list of features,” he said. “They have to get in the car and drive it. And right now, reform for many people in Newark is still a car on the lot with the doors closed.”
Joseph Del Grosso, president of the Newark Teachers Union, said that while he was not opposed to Ms. Anderson’s selection, he would fight hard against layoffs and a plan to put charter schools in district school buildings. Similar efforts in New York City have drawn opposition.
“There’s going to be no honeymoon,” Mr. Del Grosso said. “She’s walking into a hornet’s nest, because the issues that face us have to be decided immediately.”
Ms. Anderson, who holds degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University, is well known among educators nationally for her previous work as executive director of Teach for America and as chief program officer for New Leaders for New Schools, a group that trains principals.
In a statement, the federal education secretary, Arne Duncan, said, “I believe she can provide the kind of bold vision that will help Newark continue its crucial work toward providing all children the opportunity at a high-quality public education.”
Since 2006, Ms. Anderson has overseen a network of more than 300 alternative programs serving about 40,000 of New York City’s most troubled students. A year into her job, she closed several failing programs, including one for pregnant teenagers, as part of a reorganization effort that resulted in a citywide system that has since led to an increase in students seeking high school equivalency diplomas through General Educational Development programs.
“I don’t think there’s anyone more committed to public education,” said Joel I. Klein, the former New York schools chancellor who hired Ms. Anderson. “If you work with Cami, you’ll find that she knows how to work with people and bring them in and get their support.”
Friends and colleagues also described Ms. Anderson as a dogged and persuasive educator committed to providing opportunities for children who may have been overlooked or underserved by the system. For instance, she has been leading a campaign in the past year to start a charter school for youths who have served prison time.
They also point out that Ms. Anderson’s partner, Robert, is black, and that they live with their young son in Harlem.
“She is able to transcend race,” said Nitzan Pelman, who worked for Ms. Anderson at Teach for America and is now executive director of Citizen Schools New York, a nonprofit organization that promotes longer school days. “She’s comfortable living and breathing in diverse communities, given her family composition and her values.”
Pedro Noguera, a New York University education professor who has worked closely with Newark schools, said that even with the district’s $200 million windfall — about one-fifth of its overall budget — at her disposal, Ms. Anderson needed to win over local politicians and a cynical public.
“One of the problems in Newark is that there have been too many reforms, too many programs, and a lack of coherence,” Dr. Noguera said. “I think if she gets support from the mayor, the governor and the community, she will be in a position to make something happen here. My major worry for her is the politics will become so toxic that it will prevent good constructive work from moving forward.”
In recent months, plans to close failing schools and open more charter schools and decisions over how to use the Facebook money have divided Newark. Some residents have complained that they have been excluded from decision-making, in spite of a much-promoted community outreach campaign financed with nearly $1 million in donations.
“When outside investors in a system appear to have more control than local stakeholders, there is always tension,” said Jerome C. Harris, chairman of the New Jersey Black Issues Convention, a coalition of 35 African-American organizations with members across the state, including in Newark.
“As this process has evolved, it doesn’t appear that people’s concerns about local input have been given appropriate weight. Now with the selection of the superintendent, it’s like, ‘There you go again.’ ”
Governor Christie, at the news conference, emphasized his personal commitment to Newark, noting that he was born there but that his parents moved when he was 5 because they felt the schools were not up to par.
“I don’t think I’d be governor if I went to school here in Newark,” he said. “How many students are sitting in classrooms with God-given gifts to be whatever they want to be, but won’t because of the status quo? As governor, I can’t live with that.”
Before the news conference, Mr. Christie, Mr. Booker and Ms. Anderson visited a Science Park classroom, where a senior, Adedayo Jobi-Odeneye, 17, advised Ms. Anderson not to “believe the stigma.”
“Be ready to be surprised and amazed at the kind of talent we have in this school and in this district,” Adedayo suggested.
“That,” Ms. Anderson responded, “is a top-notch idea.”
Njspotlight.com - Fine Print: "Alternate Route" for Superintendents
Changes in BOE administrative code would ease the way for school superintendents who do not have state certification
By John Mooney, May 5 in Education
Summary: Proposed administrative code (Chapter 6A:9, Professional Licensure and Standards) that would permit the hiring in certain districts of school superintendents who do not have state certification.
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Why it matters, short term: On the same day that Gov. Chris Christie announced a new superintendent for Newark public schools, the State Board of Education (BOE) held a public hearing on the code proposal that could ease the way for nominee Cami Anderson to take the job. A veteran New York City school administrator, Anderson is not certified in New Jersey, and while she may be able to met the requirements anyway, approval of the new code would make it a moot point. State officials said yesterday her credentials are under review.
Why it matters, long term: Opening up the school leadership jobs to non-educators is a controversial move. On one hand, the Christie administration says it would allow for a broader range of candidates to fill these critical jobs. A number of state and cities have alternative certification. On the other hand, critics have said there should be stronger requirements for at least some education background.
The key line: "The successful candidate must: possess a Bachelor’s or higher degree from a regionally accredited, four-year college or university; possess, in the (state) Commissioner’s view, sufficient management and executive leadership experience in a public or private organization to allow the candidate to successfully administer the state district; and pass a criminal history review prior to issuance of the certificate."
*What’s required now:" A master’s or higher degree, at least 30 credits in school leadership, a separate 150-hour internship in school leadership, successful completion of a state-approved test, and five years of experience in a public or non-public school.
The state board says: The board must give final approval to all changes in administrative code, and it has already weighed in with some key alterations. It added that it will be a five-year pilot, the candidates will be judged on specific leadership criteria, and it will be opened up only to districts that are low-performing by federal standards. In addition, it added a mentorship requirement for the superintendent’s first year on the job. The board is expected to act on the proposal in the next two months.
The original "alternate route": New Jersey was the first state in the country to open up teaching jobs to those without traditional education training and state certification. Instead, these candidates must take a year of classwork to go along with their first year on the job, as well as team with a mentor teacher for 200 hours. None of those specific requirements are included in the superintendent proposal.
Quiet hearing: Only one person testified in person at the public hearing before two members of the state board, Richard Bozza of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators. He said the association is not opposed to the concept of an "alternate route" for admninistrators, but does object to this proposal in its current form.
Njspotlight.com - Cami Anderson's Almost Untroubled First Day as Newark Super
Looming layoffs, parent activists, charter schools and an unhappy teachers union are just a few of the challenges awaiting Newark's new superintendent
For one of the first times since the announcement of the $100 million Facebook gift to Newark schools six months ago, there was a glimmer of optimism and celebration yesterday over the future of New Jersey’s largest school district.
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Gov. Chris Christie was at Science Park High School to announce the appointment of a new Newark schools superintendent, Cami Anderson, and many of the city’s key players were in the room, a few even applauding and smiling.
Even that reaction was no small thing in a city that has been more torn than unified in the months since the gift from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg drew national headlines.
But for all the hopeful glow of the hour-long press event yesterday, and Anderson saying all the politic things about working together and improving the schools one by one, the tough realities now facing the 39-year-old nominee in her new post were not far away.
Potentially hundreds of layoffs loom for next year, a community continues to be roiled by charter schools in its midst, and Joseph Del Grosso, the Newark Teachers Union (NTU) president was primed for a fight last night after he was noticeably not invited to the governor’s announcement.
It didn’t even take that long, as a small group of angry parent activists waited outside the school to confront a few of the dignitaries, including Anderson herself and Mayor Cory Booker. Anderson didn’t engage them. Booker exchanged a few words before he stepped into the rain and a waiting car.
First Impressions
Whatever awaits her, Anderson yesterday provided a compelling first impression: a Harvard-educated Californian who has spent the past five years running alternative programs for some of the most disenfranchised kids in New York City schools. (To give a sense of scale, just those programs serve 40,000 students on a given day, the size of the entire Newark district.)
Anderson was described as both a dedicated educator committed to social equity and a no-nonsense manager who knew the intricacies of making organizational changes as well as instructional ones.
Her stints as leader of Teach for America and the New Leaders for New Schools program in New York City gave her school reform credentials, while her work with union leadership in closing and consolidating schools also exhibited a pragmatism for getting things accomplished.
One of her more memorable lines yesterday: "One of the clear messages I have heard from everyone in Newark. We don’t want more dreams. We don’t want a hero."
"Believe me, I understand it," she said, "education is not an individual sport."
But when she starts in June, her $240,000 contract pending approval of the state Board of Education, how Anderson translates that promise to the schools will be the test. She said improvements wouldn’t happen immediately, and even Christie was saying the change he seeks wouldn’t happen overnight, "within three weeks or even within a year."
A Good Start
Lucious Jones, a longtime parent activist who attended the press conference, said it was a good first test.
"We got her press face today," he said. "Now I want to see her community face, and whether she can work in a community that is starting to ask questions."
He referred to the often raucous meetings that have taken place over the past several months in the lead-up to Anderson’s selection, as the Christie administration has begun to put its plans in place for the district.
"Those meetings are going to continue to be packed," Jones said. "That’s not going to suddenly change now."
A big point of contention has been the administration’s plan for consolidating or closing under-enrolled district schools and sharing others with charter schools. Anderson did not say much about charter schools in general or the administration’s plans specifically, saying only that she had built a varied network of schools in New York.
Anderson was also circumspect about looming issues with the NTU, not the least of which contract talks that have been all but stalled until the superintendent was selected.
“I think there is a real chance to work together," she said yesterday. "It is a huge opportunity, and I really look forward to sitting down and finding common points of passion."
Del Grosso said last night that he was feeling less gracious after not being invited to the press conference, a conspicuous absence.
"I don’t think that’s an indication of a very good start," he said.
And that only got Del Grosso started, as he brought back the name of Beverly Hall, the last New York City educator to lead Newark schools, only to leave under fire. He said Anderson would have no grace period in having to deal with the impending layoffs and the charter tensions as well.
“There will be no honeymoon or time to acclimate," he said. "And there will be no neutrality from us, either. It will be either war or peace."
Few Easy Days
In between, the man who led a community task force that vetted Anderson and other finalists agreed there will be few easy days for the new superintendent.
Clement Price, the Rutgers history professor and longtime civic leader, acknowledged Anderson was not a Newarker and will be the first white superintendent in more than 40 years, two distinctions that might have once been disqualifiers for the top schools post.
"But we need to get over this nonsense that you need to be born and bred here to understand the city," Price said.
"When she speaks about education, it makes sense," he said. "She doesn’t hide behind the jargon, but puts education at the heart of her personal experience."
For all the recent trials so far in the wake of the Zuckerberg money, Price said this was one of the good days.
"What was in part a very awkward selection process may have been saved by the quality of its result," he said.
