New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said he’ll seek to shut failing schools and intends to release a plan as soon as next week to create more charter institutions.
The state should let charter operators take over the buildings of schools that have been shuttered, Christie, a first-term Republican, said at a town-hall meeting in Paramus. There are 104,000 students in the state who attend public schools deemed chronically failing, Christie said.
“We need to close them and start over,” Christie told a capacity crowd of 500 today at the gathering in an Elks lodge. “This is the fight. There’s no staying neutral. You have to choose sides.”
Christie, in his first State of the State speech on Jan. 11, said it would be a top priority this year to expand the charter-school program beyond the six his administration approved and the 73 operating in the state.
The governor has said New Jersey’s public-education system is too costly and failing many children. He proposed changes in September that include linking teachers’ pay and tenure to their students’ performance, and making it easier for districts to fire their worst educators.
Christie told The Wall Street Journal editorial board yesterday that he is seeking to end tenure and would support switching to a system that gives teachers five-year contracts that could be renewed based on merit.
The town-hall meeting was the 18th that Christie has held to discuss his proposals for overhauling government. The gatherings, which are videotaped by his office and broadcast on the Internet, have helped make Christie a YouTube sensation, in part because of his quarrels with teachers.
Christie said elementary students at Robert Treat Academy, a charter school in Newark, outperform those in city schools. Robert Treat spends about $14,000 per pupil compared with a statewide average of $17,600, the highest in the U.S., he said.
Charter schools are nonsectarian, public institutions that operate independently of local boards of education in the U.S. under special charters.
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While not enamored by charter schools, I do believe in cutting tenure and switching to the 5-year contract.
ReplyDeleteI know some of NJ's finest public school teachers... the more Christy does to make NJ an unfriendly place for public schools the worse off most kids in the state will be.
ReplyDeleteIf you were a young, ambitious teacher and you had two offers for a job- one a 5 year deal in NJ and the other a Tenure deal in PA- which would YOU take?! Unfortunately its not Christy's private school brood that is going to suffer from his reckless legislation.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI know some of NJ's finest public school teachers... the more Christy does to make NJ an unfriendly place for public schools the worse off most kids in the state will be.
If you were a young, ambitious teacher and you had two offers for a job- one a 5 year deal in NJ and the other a Tenure deal in PA- which would YOU take?! Unfortunately its not Christy's private school brood that is going to suffer from his reckless legislation.
12:35 PM
I am one of those "young, ambitious teachers," and I have to tell you I would go for what Christie is offering. An ambitious teacher is willing to go to extra training, and willing to go the extra mile to assure student success, versus a tenure position where mediocrity is rewarded and teachers are basically given a safe haven after 3 years or so. Christie is simply doing what private business does--making schools accountable to the people that pay their salaries and making sure that the success of the students is assured. Too often I see teachers that skate and do the bare minimum it takes to "make the grade," and are basically allowed to get away with it because of that magical creature known as tenure. If a teacher is given a 5-year contract, they have that long to prove that they can get results, and then if they can't, then the county should move on to a candidate who should be given a chance. The teacher's unions are too powerful, and the students are the ones who ultimately suffer. If the unions and the teacher truly care about students and their performance, they would embrace what Christie is offering and work with him on a compromise plan, versus fighting him tooth and nail.
1235-Christie is doing the right thing for NJ. If that "young, ambitious teacher" cared more about teaching, than job security...well lets face it, that's where the teacher unions have got us today.
ReplyDeleteCharter schools have done very well, there are many examples of this. Why continue to put good money after bad in bloated, inefficient, and ineffective public schools? It's obvious the unions do not want positive changes, they only want to protect the jobs of their constituents, they don't care about the eroding public education system. Until that changes, why pour money into a system that's already a failure? Christie rightfully so has put some teachers/teacher unions on blast, I'm sure a few remember a memorable town hall meeting or two.
Don't blame the governor blame the unions. Why should the whole state go under just so they can fund teacher cushy pensions? We all have to have some skin in the game especially the worst violators.
ReplyDeleteI'm not talking about unions. I'm talking about convincing the state's brightest young teachers to choose a less secure job over tenure. Its basic logic, tell me you would turn up a more sound job in this economy based on "principle" alone. PA is RIGHT next door and offer their teachers better pay, security and benefits.
ReplyDeletePS you dont HAVE to join the teachers union in NJ to be a public school teacher but with Christy taking aim at public schools you can bet we will see a huge rise in participation!
He has to take aim at the biggest expenses it's not personal. The democrats want to fund everything it would be nice but it's not realistic.He's trying to clean up a mess for his constituents as a whole. He is a responsible governor, everybody complains about government waste but Christy is actually doing something about it. I hope he runs for President someday.
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