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6-13-11 Education and Related Issues in the News
Star Ledger, Moran: NJN's death, and what comes next “…But without doubt, something will be lost in three weeks when people like Aron walk away. We’ll find out soon if trading that for $11 million a year was a mistake.”

Star Ledger - Braun: N.J. support for charter schools waning..."I do believe there are differences," said state Sen. Thomas Kean (R-Essex), talking about the siting of charter schools in suburbs versus cities. He also said he believed "there should be a process for allowing local communities to provide input."

Press of Atlantic City - New Jersey remains tops in the nation in high school graduation rate

Njspotlight.com - A District in Transition Awaits Superintendent Anderson...A slew of new charters, a controversial consolidation plan take care of the first two days

The Record (Northjersey.com) - Christie's education spending may be surprising...""I do believe there are differences," said state Sen. Thomas Kean (R-Essex), talking about the siting of charter schools in suburbs versus cities. He also said he believed "there should be a process for allowing local communities to provide input."



 

Star Ledger, Moran: NJN's death, and what comes next “…But without doubt, something will be lost in three weeks when people like Aron walk away. We’ll find out soon if trading that for $11 million a year was a mistake.”

Published: Sunday, June 12, 2011, 6:00 AM

By Tom Moran/ The Star-LedgerThe Star-Ledger


It was a painful moment when Michael Aron raised his hand to ask Gov. Chris Christie a question about the untimely death of NJN, the network Aron has helped steer for nearly 30 years.

Aron is a beloved figure on press row, and everyone in the room knew his cause was hopeless. The governor had decided to sink his dagger into the belly of NJN, and no question Aron could ask was going to stay his hand.

Still, he had to ask. In its glory days, he said, NJN had nearly 250 employees, shrunk now by about half after repeated cuts.

How, he asked, could a better news show be produced with only 15 to 20 people, as WNET was promising?

“That kind of defies logic”, Aron said.

We will soon see, because if this goes as planned, NJN will cease to exist in three weeks. Aron and about 120 others will lose their jobs at the network, saving the state about $11 million a year.

WNET, the public station for the New York region, will take over with a new evening newscast and a menu of public affairs programs that will rely heavily on Steve Adubato Jr., the ever-present face of public TV in New Jersey.

These are tough times, and it’s hard to defend spending even $11 million on something you can get for free.

But there is reason to worry about this deal. For one, Adubato’s father is the political boss Steve Adubato Sr., who has fallen into a love embrace with the governor. The question is whether this deal was crafted as a favor to “Big Steve”

According to the union for employees at NJN, Adubato Jr. bragged in September that this deal was locked, that WNET would get the license in partnership with him. Two other sources, who asked for anonymity, say Adubato Jr. made the same claim to them several months ago.

That prophecy came true, of course, despite a credible competing bid from Montclair State University.

“Everyone in politics has known this was greased for the last year,” says state Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex).

Christie and both Adubatos swear this suspicion is baseless. Still, this is Jersey, where a healthy dose of skepticism is rational.

Even Adubato Jr. doesn’t explicitly deny having said this deal was a lock long before the bids were opened.

“I don’t remember saying that,” he says.”If you’re asking did I think this was a strong bid, the answer is yes.”

None of that is Aron’s main concern. He’ thinking about journalism.

“I love Channel 13, but have you ever seen them do a story about New York City government, or the state government?” he asks. “I think they are overpromising and something is going to be lost.”

Full disclosure: Aron is a good friend and it’s painful to watch him go through this.

A Harvard graduate with a master’s degree from Princeton, he was dubbed the “dean of press” row by Gov. Jon Corzine, and everyone who works on it agrees.

Politicians tend to go to him first at press conferences, but he never hogs more than his share of the time. He helps younger reporters figure out what’s going on. And he counts himself a lucky man to be covering New Jersey.

“I wouldn’t have gone to Connecticut, too white bread, he says.” But Jersey is gritty and interesting. These crusty characters make the best TV.;

At age 65, memories remain fresh: Bill Clinton pressing into his face in a rage; Gov. Tom Kean disclosing his childhood stuttering problem around a fire at Drumthwacket; the heartbreaking poverty at homeless hotels in Irvington.

WNET plans to revamp the nightly broadcast. It won’t focus on produced segments from around the state, which are expensive. It will offer a short news summary, followed by in-depth discussions of issues. It will lean on partners in traditional media and at universities.

That’s the modern way in media; we all interbreed. Adubato Jr. has a freelance column in The Ledger’s business section, and WNET has approached The Ledger about sharing content.

The media landscape has been changing faster than NJN. Aron may be the sentimental favorite, like John Henry with his hammer, but the march of modernity can’t be stopped. This deal, or something like it, is inevitable in these austere times.

Maybe the new station will do well. Maybe WNET won this bid without a political thumb on the scale.

But without doubt, something will be lost in three weeks when people like Aron walk away. We’ll find out soon if trading that for $11 million a year was a mistake.

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or (973) 392-5728.

Star Ledger - Braun: N.J. support for charter schools waning

Published: Monday, June 13, 2011, 7:30 AM By Bob Braun/Star-Ledger Columnist

The Star-Ledger
CAMDEN — Another news conference, another rollout of the latest big thing in the privatization of public education — this time it was in Camden, and the idea was a for-profit management scheme that might help entrepreneurs make money running schools. But, despite Gov. Chris Christie’s description of the idea as "transformation," there are signs the governor’s crusade to privatize schooling may be losing momentum.

On the same day, miles away in Trenton, a man who should be one of Christie’s top supporters was trying to explain why he said expanding charter schools — a previous Christie latest big thing — might not be a good idea for wealthy suburban communities.

"I do believe there are differences," said state Sen. Thomas Kean (R-Essex), talking about the siting of charter schools in suburbs versus cities. He also said he believed "there should be a process for allowing local communities to provide input."

In a letter to what he conceded were "many" constituents opposed to new charter schools in their communities, Kean said "charter schools may not necessarily enhance a school district already performing on a higher level."

Hardly revolutionary statements — but they show he is feeling the heat from suburban school districts that don’t want what the Millburn schools superintendent calls "boutique" charters that siphon money and students from public districts. And Kean flatly refused to say whether he would oppose a bill giving communities veto power over new charters.

"The suburbs are roiling," says Julia Sass Rubin of Princeton, a spokeswoman for Save Our Schools-New Jersey, an advocate for local control of charter decisions.

But Kean’s wavering wasn’t the only sign oomph has been taken out of the privatization movement. Christie’s chief Democratic ally in the crusade for school vouchers — fresh from a brutal primary fight — says a "scale-down version" of the idea "might be the way to go."

State Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-Union) now says he wants a "laser-like" set of solutions aimed solely at "chronically failing" urban schools rather than the broad adoption of privatization, including charters, throughout the state.

Another legislator, state Sen. Dick Codey (D-Essex), who supports giving local communities the right to vote on charters and opposes vouchers, says he believes efforts by the administration to expand privatization has provoked a reaction in the suburbs.

"Many people support their public schools and they are reacting with anger to the idea they should be privatized," said Codey. "Suburban Republicans are caught between what Christie wants and what their constituents want."

Christie announced his support for "transformation schools" with an unlikely partner — Camden County Democratic boss George Norcross, a voucher supporter and a man the governor once said should have been investigated for criminal activity. Identifying privatization with old Democratic political machines also is not likely to enhance the idea among suburban residents.

Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak did not respond to repeated requests for comment. In the past, the governor has taken an expansive view of the role of privatization.

In one of his most controversial speeches — in Washington a year ago — the governor said the Educational Opportunity Scholarship Act, the voucher bill co-sponsored by Kean and Lesniak, "will lead to school vouchers across the state of New Jersey so choice is available to every parent." His administration also has expanded approvals for charter schools in suburbs.

James Crisfield, the Millburn schools superintendent, said he believes the reaction of parents in places like his town, Livingston, Summit, Westfield, Princeton and other wealthy suburbs "will give pause" to legislators eager to expand privatization.

Crisfield, however, is not necessarily opposed to charter expansion in the cities.

"It’s a question of needs versus wants," he says. "Some urban districts may need charter schools — high-achieving districts do not."

Rubin says she fears that kind of thinking will lead to allowing wealthy suburban residents to have a say over what sort of schools they have in their communities while urban residents are forced to accept charter and voucher schools.

"Democracy isn’t just for rich people," she says.

Njspotlight.com - A District in Transition Awaits Superintendent Anderson

A slew of new charters, a controversial consolidation plan take care of the first two days

By John Mooney, June 13 in Education|Post a Comment

Camden Middle School is a good example of the kind of challenges -- and uncertainties -- that await Cami Anderson on her first day as Newark's superintendent of schools.

Related Links

The school, like the 39,000-student district, is in transition. Last year, less than half its students passed the state tests. This fall, it is moving in with Camden Street Elementary School next door, to form a single K-8 facility.

Replacing it will be three new high schools: the Bard High School Early College, New Day Charter School and People’s Prep Charter. And with them come new teachers and new families.

"I’m a little scared," said Aida Crespo, the mother of a 14-year-old daughter who will be attending People’s Prep. "I know the area, I know the way the school used to be. But I think it will be better. We’ll see."

That sort of nervousness will likely greet Anderson as she starts her $240,000-a-year post.

Stepping into a district in the national spotlight, she has said her job the first few months will be to listen and learn. But there are a number of initiatives already underway that will greet her at the door of the district’s Cedar Street headquarters, leaving her little time to get acclimated.

A day into the job, a controversial consolidation plan for combining some district schools and sharing others with charter schools will be one of the first orders of business for Anderson as she meets with the district’s local advisory board on Tuesday.

The proposed plan is expected to be publicly released today, but some of the details emerged in he past week, including the sharing of the old Camden Middle among two charters and the new district high school, Bard.

In addition, the three other district high schools will open as initially planned, one on Washington Street next to Rutgers University, a second in the Newark Vocational School and a third whose location is undecided, according to the latest proposal.

In all, five charters will also open next fall in district buildings. In addition to People’s Prep and New Day’s arrangement, Thirteenth Avenue School will share space with a charter school part of the North Star Academy network. The Burnet Street School will share with the new Great Oaks Charter School. And the Dayton Street School will share with the existing Lady Liberty Charter School.

Many of the details came out of a round of community meetings held across the city last Wednesday to introduce the new "shared campus" configurations to the families that will attend them.

Crespo and her daughter, Evalise, attended the session at Camden Middle, where about 30 families gathered in the school’s library to go over enrollment information. Virtually all were there for the People’s Prep , a college preparatory school that will start out with about 100 students.

Staying with Charters

A good number of the students were coming from other charter schools in the city that only went up to eighth grade, saying they had good experiences so far with the charters and wanted to stay with them.

In Crespo’s case, the main option for her daughter was the city’s Barringer High School, and to the mother, that was no option. "I would have moved," she said.

“I just think the charters care more," Aida Crespo said from her daughter’s experience at the Maria Varisco Charter School. "They didn’t let them get away with anything. Homework, grades, nothing."

Another parent, with three of her five children in Newark charter schools, said the size matters most.

"It’s about preparing for college, and with the small group, they just give her more individualized attention," said Darlene Marsh, whose daughter Caressa was also enrolling at People’s Prep.

"In the public school, there are too many children, too much going on," she said.

And as for sharing with another school, Marsh said she was aware it had been a controversial idea but wasn’t too worried. "It’s just a building," she said.

Not attending the meeting were those who would be leaving, including Camden Middle principal LeContee Hill. She said it will be sad to the leave the school, but said the new combination with Camden Street Elementary will work well.

And she said she looked forward to the new superintendent, with some curiosity.

"But it’s a good curiosity," she said. "We need someone ready to go. I don’t think we need to throw everything out, but we do need some things to be done."

The Record (Northjersey.com) - Christie's education spending may be surprising

Sunday, June 12, 2011 Last updated: Sunday June 12, 2011, 10:21 AM

BY JOHN REITMEYER

STATE HOUSE BUREAU

State House Bureau

Print | E-mail

New Jersey is spending roughly the same amount of every dollar it collects from taxpayers on direct school aid under Governor Christie as it did under prior Democratic governors.

FILE PHOTO

Governor Christie

The New Jersey Education Association - which disagrees with Christie on a number of issues, including tenure reform, merit pay and vouchers - is running a multimillion-dollar ad campaign against the governor that calls attention to education spending cuts.

"Tax cuts for millionaires, but education cuts that hurt middle class families, Chris Christie is making the wrong choices for New Jersey," says the narrator in an NJEA ad running on television.

Yet Christie, according to an analysis of recent state budgets by The Record, is allocating nearly 30 percent of total state spending on direct aid to school districts, about the same amount budgeted by former Govs. Jon Corzine and Jim McGreevey - two Democrats Christie routinely blames for causing the state's biggest fiscal problems.

Despite a recession that reduced total state revenue collections by more than 10 percent in just two years, the education cuts Christie has enacted have only slightly lowered the percentage of the total state budget that is being dedicated to direct school aid, according to The Record's analysis.

And although Christie's protection of direct school aid as a percentage of total spending contradicts the message of the teachers union, it also runs counter to the Republican governor's portrayal of his own budget practices as being significantly different from those of his predecessors.

"We have changed the paradigm. We have established a 'new normal,'x" Christie said during his budget address in February.

Current budget

The $29.4 billion Christie budget for the fiscal year that ends June 30 directs $7.9 billion to direct school aid, or about 27 percent of total state spending.

That percentage of spending comes close to Corzine's biggest allocation for direct school aid, which occurred during the 2010 fiscal year, when he was running for reelection against Christie.

Corzine directed a total of $8.8 billion or about 29 percent of a $30.4 billion total budget to direct school aid that year. But Corzine was able to spend at that higher level largely due to $1 billion in non-recurring federal stimulus aid, as well as with revenue from a one-year tax surcharge on higher income earners that has become a political issue ever since for Democrats and the teachers union.

McGreevey's largest school aid allocation, meanwhile, was $8.6 billion during the 2005 fiscal year, which would have preceded a gubernatorial reelection bid he eventually abandoned amid scandal.

And in that year the $26.2 billion McGreevey budget relied on a $2 billion borrowing scheme that the state Supreme Court later ruled was a violation of the state constitution's balanced budget requirement.

But Christie's spending plan for the current budget year maintains nearly the same levels of direct school aid as Corzine and McGreevey, but without the help of tax increases, aid from the federal government or a risky borrowing scheme. He has done so by freeing up cash in other areas in the current budget, including significantly reducing property tax relief - there were no rebate checks mailed out in 2010 - and skipping a payment into a state pension system that is now underfunded by an estimated $54 billion as of last count.

Proposed budget

Christie's $29.6 billion budget for the year that will begin July 1 calls for spending on direct school aid to increase by $250 million to $8.1 billion. That would mean, again, that about 27 percent of total spending would be going to direct school aid under Christie.

But some Democrats, in response to the recent controversial state Supreme Court ruling on education spending in poor communities, are considering increases to the amount of school funding for that proposed budget.

The court, in its decision, didn't say the Christie administration wasn't spending enough on school aid, as many have perceived. Instead, the court said the state was not giving enough of the current school aid allocation to the poorest communities that don't have the resources on their own to meet the state constitution's guarantee of a "thorough and efficient system of free public schools" in all towns.

Still, Democrats may increase total school funding more than $1 billion in the new budget to make everyone happy. That would boost aid to the poorest districts covered in the court's decision by $500 million, as well as other districts that, although not directly included in the ruling, were also found to have been shorted by the state according to its own school funding law.

Christie, so far, has not dismissed the talk of increased school aid outright, saying only that he will carefully review whatever the Legislature decides to do in response to the court ruling, then make his own decision.

Increasing school funding by $1 billion, while maintaining the same amount of spending, would see the state allocate a full 30 percent of the total budget to direct school aid in the new budget year, matching Corzine's best year and coming close to McGreevey's.

But to do so, Democrats may press Christie to renew a portion of the tax surcharge on higher incomes that was in place for the one year under Corzine, which would test the governor's commitment to not approve any major tax hikes.

E-mail: reitmeyer@northjersey.com

 

Press of Atlantic City - New Jersey remains tops in the nation in high school graduation rate

By DIANE D’AMICO Education Writer | Posted: Tuesday, June 7, 2011 12:00 am

New Jersey’s high school graduation rate — 87 percent — remains the highest in the nation, a new Diplomas Count report released today shows.

That rate is almost five points below the 93 percent graduation rate listed in the New Jersey School Report Card for the 2007-08 academic year, the year on which this year’s Diplomas Count was based. But state officials said a new, more rigorous state reporting system is likely to bring future graduation rates closer to the Diplomas Count number.

The new state Department of Education system will require school districts to track the progress of individual students rather than use enrollment numbers to calculate the rate. Currently, the rate is the percentage of students overall who stayed in high school for four years. The new system will track individual students by an identification number.

The state also is preparing a new system of graduation tests designed to address concerns that graduates are not prepared for jobs or college.

“New Jersey’s graduation rate is a source of pride, indicating that we have excellent school programs and teachers who are doing a great job in helping our students graduate,” acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf said in a statement. “However, it is important that we know if our students are truly college ready by generating more comprehensive and transparent data.”

Even with the changes, New Jersey is likely to remain at or near the top of the nation. Vermont had the second-highest graduation rate at 83 percent.

New Jersey Education Association spokesman Steve Baker said the report shows the majority of schools in the state are doing a good job.

“We don’t need to blow up a successful system because of a political agenda that has nothing to do with education,” he said, adding that the state should focus on using successful models to help schools that are struggling.

“Other states want to do what we’re doing,” he said. “We’re the only state trying to figure out how to undo what we’re doing.”

The Diplomas Count 2011 report, published by the Editorial Projects and Education Research Center in Maryland, also says more attention should be paid to the value of the diploma in preparing students for jobs or college.

Cerf said the state’s most important goal must be to see that graduates are college- and career-ready. He cited the large number of students who need remedial courses at some community colleges. Statewide about two-thirds of community college students must take at least one remedial course.

“We’re very proud of our graduation rate, but other studies show that we still have much work to do,” Cerf said.

Local school officials say they are taking steps to keep more at-risk students in high school, but many face larger societal problems.

“Immigrant students come in underschooled for their age,” said Donna Haye, assistant superintendent for curriculum in Atlantic City schools. “Urban students start having attendance problems, fall behind in class and don’t have a family structure to support them. A big problem at the high school is students who just don’t come to school and have no parental oversight.”

The report shows an estimated 14,000 New Jersey high school seniors did not graduate in 2008.

The national high school graduation rate in 2008 was almost 72 percent, an almost 3 percent increase from the year before. The report showed improvement among all groups, although minority students still lag. The graduate rates for Hispanic and black students in New Jersey are almost 20 points lower than that of white and Asian students. But all student groups in New Jersey graduate at a higher rate than students in other states.

Stan Karp, director of secondary education reform for the Education Law Center, said there has been steady improvement in graduation rates statewide. But, he said, most of the problems remain in the poorest urban districts, and it will be interesting to see the impact of the new tracking and testing systems.

“The question becomes how do you sustain the improvement while also increasing academic preparation for all students?” he said.“How do you raise the bar without pushing some kids out? The old tracking system was pretty shaky in how schools accounted for students who just sort of disappeared.”

Early intervention and personal contact have made a difference in some districts.

Haye said mentors have been successful in Atlantic City, as have new early intervention programs that target students before they get to the high school. She said 13 of the Top 20 students in the Class of 2011 are from Atlantic City. In previous years, most came from the sending districts of Brigantine, Margate and Ventnor.

“If they come into the high school better equipped, we can get them into the Advanced Placement classes and into college” she said.

The Champions of Youth program at the Atlantic City Boys & Girls Club has sought to pair 20 freshmen a year with personal mentors. This year the club will produce its third graduating class, all of whom have plans to continue their education.

“Most are the first in their families to even graduate from high school,” Director of External Affairs David Messier said. “We do everything and anything we can to convince them education is important because that is not a message they are getting at home.”

At Wildwood High School, teams that include teachers, counselors and parents plan academic interventions with students at risk of dropping out.

The district developed a new bilingual program that has helped students learn English and keep up with academic work. A school-to-work program allows some students to work part of the school day. The technology department has offered a hands-on program in basic home repairs and maintenance.

“They like it, and it keeps them motivated to stay in school,”said Susan Rohrman, supervisor of curriculum and instruction.“They’re building furniture and learning to do basic plumbing and wiring, skills they can use.”

The next step is where they go after they graduate. Community colleges are growing because they are affordable and can offer a variety of training programs, from a short-term certificate to a two-year associate degree. But students still need the basic skills.

Jean McAlister, associate dean of continuing education at Atlantic Cape Community College, said the college’s goal is to forge education pathways for students so that any program can lead to a more advanced degree.

“They can start with a credential that is also worth college credits,” McAllister said. She said most programs require students to take the Test of Adult Basic Education, and if they need to work on academics, they can get help at the One-Stop Career Centers for free. But they must have a high school diploma.

She said different jobs require different skill levels. Learning to deal table games requires basic math. But a solar technology program requires more advanced math concepts to calculate how to properly install solar panels.

Art Wexler, vice president of academic affairs at Atlantic Cape, said degree programs also are set up so students can choose from a career or academic path. But students must take a placement test, and state data show about two-thirds of community college students must take at least one remedial course, which has led to a call for more rigorous high school requirements.

Contact Diane D’Amico:

609-272-7241

DDamico@pressofac.com