Ravitch's Blog: Charles Pierce: “Education Is Not A Damn Marketplace!”

The following is from the blog of Diane Ravitch. If education policy is important to you then I suggest you read Ravitch's blog. It's informative as well as enlightening and will occasionally make you want to scream.

Charles Pierce: “Education Is Not A Damn Marketplace!”

by Diane Ravitch
7/3/2017


There is one super-smart columnist writing in Esquire, and his name is Charles P. Pierce.

He gets it.

Unlike the editorial boards of the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post, he understands that schools don’t get “better” by competing.

He understands that what is called “reform” these days is a massive failure.

He knows that charter schools, despite the boasting, despite the hundreds of millions squandered on them, don’t get better results than public schools and usually get worse results.

He has been paying attention.

In district after district, public schools are outperforming charter schools.

Will someone tell the Walton Family?

Will someone tell Eli Broad and Reed Hastings?

Will the editorial writers wake up anytime soon?


*****
h/t Paula Ram

President Obama's Weekly Address 1/30/16: Giving Every Student an Opportunity to Learn Through Computer Science For All

WASHINGTON, DC —In this week’s address, the President discussed his plan to give all students across the country the chance to learn computer science (CS) in school. The President noted that our economy is rapidly shifting, and that educators and business leaders are increasingly recognizing that CS is a “new basic” skill necessary for economic opportunity. The President referenced his Computer Science for All Initiative, which provides $4 billion in funding for states and $100 million directly for districts in his upcoming budget; and invests more than $135 million beginning this year by the National Science Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service to support and train CS teachers. The President called on even more Governors, Mayors, education leaders, CEOs, philanthropists, creative media and technology professionals, and others to get involved in the efforts.

Why Chris Christie Hates Teachers (and Why We Must Defend Them)

The relationship between politicians and teachers have become rather precarious of late and rhetoric such as Chris Chritie's recent inflammatory comments towards teachers unions needing a "punch in the face" does nothing to alleviate the situation.

That's why this essay posted on CommonDreams.org, should be read and understood by all those that have children or grandchildren in public schools. Teaching used to be considered an important and honorable profession; not any more. Now teachers are looked down upon as lazy and thought of as leeches, who suck tax dollars from the pockets of parents whose kids must master the art of taking standardized tests.

The fact of the matter is teachers have become the scapegoats for politicians that are unable, unwilling or incompetent to address or take on the ills that are affecting our society, which negatively impacts learning  such as poverty and apathy.

From Common Dreams by Jeff Bryant:

What was the most surprising thing about New Jersey Governor and Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie’s recent remark that the “national teachers union” deserves a “punch in the face?”

Certainly not that he made the remark. As multiple news outlets reporting on the comment note, Christie “has had several public confrontations with individual teachers.”

No, what was most surprising was how tepid the response has been from anyone but members of the teachers’ unions themselves.

In contrast to the “firestorm,” according to The Washington Post, that Jeb Bush, also a Republican presidential candidate, ignited after he said he was “not sure we need half a billion dollars for women’s health issues,” Christie’s remark doesn’t appear to have received a strong rebuke from prominent commentators or representatives of the Democratic Party. Although Bush’s comment has been called a “gaffe” by Beltway pundits, Christie’s comment has not been similarly labeled.

In fact, the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal said Christie’s insult is proof of “the growing consensus that teachers unions are the main obstacle to improvement in American public schools.”

What motivated Christie to make the remark, as an Education Week reporter surmised, was a need to get “an upper hand in a crowded GOP presidential election field.”

If that supposition is true, Christie likely failed. There is nothing unique about Republican candidates attacking public school teachers.

As education journalist Valerie Strauss points out on her blog at The Washington Post, Christie “is hardly the only candidate antagonistic toward teachers and their unions.” Strauss explains that at least three other Republican presidential candidates – Bush and Governors Scott Walker of Wisconsin and John Kasich of Ohio – have been more “damaging” to teachers and their unions.

There are also a number of political leaders in the Democratic Party who have histories of making unkind remarks about teachers in public. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has often been accused of being “insulting” to educators in his high-handed governance of the city’s public schools. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has also been accused of waging “attacks” on public school educators.

So political candidates of all stripes seem to have very few inhibitions to attack public schools teachers – or inclinations to defend them when they are viciously singled out.

There are reasons for this tendency that go beyond political gamesmanship. Certainly politicians want teachers to vote for them and give them campaign contributions. And when weighing that benefit against the potential votes and money that could come in from people who resent being taxed to pay for teacher salaries and benefits, there will always be politicians who opt to go for the anti-tax message.

But the antipathy, or apathy, many politicians tend to have toward teachers derives from the reality that politicians tend to have unreal expectations about teachers and what they do.

Teachers And Their Unions

But first, let’s be clear that an attack on teachers’ unions, like the one Christie’s remark exemplified, is an attack on teachers, or at least a very large representation of them.

If you don’t agree with that, then you’ve simply never been to a teachers’ union meeting of any kind. If you ever make it to a national assembly of one of these organizations, what you’ll confront in the convention hall is a massive showing of literally hundreds and hundreds of teachers. Seriously, if teachers’ unions aren’t made up of teachers, who on earth are they made of?

Teachers take any attack on their unions as something personal. As at least one teacher wrote on his personal blog, Christie’s remark strikes at teachers personally: “Christie wants to punch me in the face … After all, I am a public school teacher. I do belong to one of those nefarious teachers unions.”

Now does that mean that teachers’ unions always represent the majority of their members? Of course not. Can any representative body claim that?

But teachers’ unions are, well, teachers, and political leaders who openly disrespect these organizations are in essence disrespecting teachers. Why do politicians so often disrespect teachers?

The Teacher Wars

Dana Goldstein in her tremendous book The Teacher Wars: A History of America’s Most Embattled Profession plunges into that question with great depth and insight this short piece of writing won’t attempt to summarize.

In her detailed account of the complex history of the teaching profession in America, Goldstein grapples with understanding why, in her words, “powerful people seemed to feel indignant about the incompetence and job security of public school teachers.”

Goldstein vividly describes the current regard political leaders have for teachers as a “confusing dichotomy” in which teachers are worshipped in the abstract and ridiculed when they, in the flesh, publically represent their needs and interests. She likens the current obsession with education “reform” to a “moral panic” that by and large has “nothing to do” with the quality of teachers’ work. And she draws on copious evidence from the historical record to today’s news accounts to illustrate how public school administrators working with their local teachers’ unions have developed successful education policies that serve both the interests of teachers and the taxpayers’ needs to know their money is being well spent. 

Goldstein’s remarkably nuanced narrative culminates with a brief “lessons from history” that should guide politicians in how they talk about teachers, including the importance of their salaries, their needs for collaborative space and time, and the undue expectations being put on teachers, and the education system as a whole.

But politicians don’t do nuance.

“Results” Teachers Can’t Give

What politician do, mostly, is speak in the language of “results.” And in today’s economically minded culture, results are framed in the language of business.

Teaching, we’re so often told, “produces learning” like a sausage machine spits out pods of ground meat wrapped in pig gut. When it comes time for politicians to prove their worthiness to the public, they assume it’s the teachers’ job to show an increase in some sort of measurable output, such as a rise in standardized test scores or a positive swing in graduation rates. When those magic numbers aren’t available, there’s hell to pay, and teachers have to be made “accountable” – never mind that the financial support for education programs is less than it was seven years ago, more students are plagued with the trauma of poverty, teacher salaries are not equivalent to what other professionals make, and higher stress levels in schools have caused teacher morale to plummet.

However, it has never been, and never will be, teachers’ jobs to “produce” learning. Students are the ones who do the learning. And “learning isn’t even a “product.”

As retired teacher and popular blogger Walt Gardner explains for Education Week, teaching isn’t about production as much as it is about relationships. “Teaching by its very nature is a person-to-person undertaking,” he writes. “The trouble is that everything going on today undermines the teacher-student relationship … What good does it do to teach a subject well (high standardized test scores) but to teach students to hate the subject in the process?”

What politicians don’t get is that teachers will generally put up with all the negative conditions of too little money to do a complicated, stress-filled job if people who hold public office would show at least a clue they get this.

Very few politicians do, so their short term interests rarely align with the perspectives of teachers whose very jobs demand they think long term and developmentally. Until one of those two parties adjusts their attitudes, we’ll continue to see teachers openly disparaged, or disregarded, in the public sphere. For the sake of our children, let’s hope the politicians are the ones who make the adjustment.

*************************************************

Jeff Bryant is an associate fellow at Campaign for America's Future and editor of the recently launched Education Opportunity Network, a project of the Institute for America’s Future, in partnership with the Opportunity to Learn Campaign.

President Obama's Weekly Address5/2/15 : Ensuring Every Child Gets a Great Education

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President reiterated his commitment to expanding access to education, and to spreading the joy of reading to more children and young adults. Earlier this week the President announced two new efforts that, building on the progress already made by his ConnectEd initiative, will do just that: a challenge to mayors, libraries, and school leaders to help every student get a library card; and commitments from libraries and major publishers to provide more than $250 million in free e-Books for low-income students. In his address, the President also previewed his upcoming commencement speech at Lake Area Tech, in Watertown, South Dakota, where he will discuss his plan to make two years of community college as free and universal for every American as high school is today. The President is working to ensure every child has the access to the education and resources they need to be successful.

President Obama's Weekly Address 2/14/15: Giving Every Child, Everywhere, a Fair Shot

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President laid out his plan to ensure more children graduate from school fully prepared for college and a career. Our elementary and secondary schools are doing better, as demonstrated by the news this past week that our high school graduation rate has hit an all-time high, but there is still more that can be done to ensure every child receives a quality education. That’s why the President wants to replace No Child Left Behind with a new law that addresses the overuse of standardized tests, makes a real investment in preschool, and gives every kid a fair shot at success. He reminded everyone that when educating our kids, the future of our nation, we shouldn’t accept anything less than the best.

What would happen under a Republican Senate?

  The Daily Kos -  The answer is in the video above. As Reich explains:

• Unemployment benefits will not be extended to the long-term unemployed
• No minimum wages—no living wages for that matter
• Continuing education cuts
• Continuing decay of our country's infrastructure

President Obama's Weekly Address 6/7/14: Supporting America's Students

WASHINGTON, DC -- In this week’s address, President Obama underscored the importance of helping to lift the burden of crushing student loan debt faced by too many Americans and highlighted the efforts he’s taken to ensure we uphold America’s commitment to provide a quality education for all who are willing to work for it. While the President will continue to take action on his own, he urged Congress to do its part and commended Senate Democrats for working on a bill that would help more young people save money.

President Obama's Weekly Address 5/3/14: The President's Year of Action

WASHINGTON, DC – In this week’s address, the President provided an update on the work his Administration has done to strengthen the economy and expand opportunity for hardworking Americans in this Year of Action. While Republicans in Congress are setting records in obstruction, the President is making progress for the American people and has taken more than 20 executive actions since January.

The President vowed to continue taking action on his own wherever possible, but underscored that much more progress could be made if Republicans in Congress were less interested in stacking the deck in favor of those at the top, and more interested in expanding opportunity for all.

President Obama's Weekly Address 4/5/14: The President’s Budget Ensures Opportunity for All Hard-Working Americans

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President highlighted the important differences between the budget he’s put forward – built on opportunity for all – and the budget House Republicans are advocating for, which stacks the deck against the middle class. While the President is focused on building lasting economic security and ensuring that hard-working Americans have the opportunity to get ahead, Republicans are advancing the same old top-down approach of cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans and slashing important investments in education, infrastructure, and research and development.

President Obama's Weekly Address 2/8/14: Expanding Opportunity for the American People

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama said he will do everything he can to make a difference for the middle class and those working to get into the middle class, so that we can expand opportunity for all and build an economy that works for the American people.

President Obama's Weekly Address 2/1/14: Restoring Opportunity for All

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, the President discussed the goals he laid out in the State of the Union address to expand opportunity for all so that every American can get ahead and have a shot at creating a better life for their kids.

Buono Campaign: Christie Can't Hide His Failed Economic Record

For Immediate Release:

The Buono for Governor campaign released the following statement in response to the Christie campaign's latest ad:

"The Christie campaign's attempts to prop up his failed economic record ring hollow among the 400,000 people looking for work, the middle class families burdened by his 20 percent property tax increase and the students dealing with the devastating consequences of his $1 billion cut to education. 

"New Jerseyans are tired of his excuses and want a vision for a New Jersey that lifts up everyone rather than favoring millionaires and corporations."

- David Turner, a spokesman for the campaign

BACKGROUND

CHRISTIE'S NEW JERSEY COMEBACK NEVER HAPPENED

Star-Ledger Editorial: "Compared With The Rest Of The Country — Even The Rest Of Our Region — We Haven't Restored Nearly As Many Jobs Lost During The Start Of The Recession. Which Makes Gov. Chris Christie's Gloating Lately About The Jobs He's Created That Much More Insufferable." [Editorial, Star-Ledger, 4/7/13]

Asbury Park Press Editorial: "The Jersey Economic Comeback? Never Happened." [Editorial, Asbury Park Press, 8/19/13]

Bloomberg On Christie's Economic Record: "So Compared To The Country As A Whole, New Jersey Has Faltered Since Christie Took Office." [Bloomberg, 8/15/13]

CNBC: Christie Would Be "Unlikely To Point To New Jersey's Standing In Our America's Top States For Business Rankings. It Has Declined Since He Took Office In 2010" Falling From 30^th To 42^nd In 2013. "But he is unlikely to point to New Jersey's standing in our America's Top States for Business rankings. It has declined since he took office in 2010. That year and in 2011, New Jersey finished 30th overall. In 2012, the state plunged to 41st. For 2013, it drops another spot to 42nd." [CNBC, 7/13/13]

THE FACTS – HIGHEST UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE REGION, BOTTOM OF THE BARREL IN JOB CREATION, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY 400,000 NEW JERSEYANS ARE LOOKING FOR WORK

New Jersey's Unemployment Rate Of 8.5% Was The Highest Among Its Neighbors By Nearly Half A Point. In August 2013, New Jersey's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.5%. New York's was 7.6%, Pennsylvania's rate was 7.7%, Delaware's was 7.3%, Maryland's unemployment rates was 7.0% and Connecticut's was 8.1%. [BLS.gov, Accessed 9/20/13]

·     From January 2010 To August 2013, New Jersey's Unemployment Rate Dropped A Point, From 9.7% To 8.5%, While The National Unemployment Rate Dropped 2 Points, From 9.8% To 7.3%. [BLS.gov, Accessed 9/20/13]

August 2013: 391,667 New Jerseyans Are Out Of Work And Looking. [BLS.gov, Accessed 9/20/13]

August 2013: New Jersey Had Only Recovered 49% Of Jobs Lost During The Great Recession, While New York Recovered 126% And Pennsylvania 78%, And The Nation 78%. New Jersey's peak total non-farm seasonally adjusted employment came in January 2008, at 4,092,200. The low point came in September 2010 at 3,969,800 and August 2013, New Jersey stood at 3,958,700. New Jersey had only regained 49% of jobs lost. New York regained 126%, Pennsylvania 78% and nationally 78%. [BLS.gov, Accessed 9/20/13]

August 2013: New Jersey Ranked 44^th In Job Creation Under Christie, And Lagged Behind New York (23^th), Delaware (39th), Connecticut (38th), Maryland (24th) And Pennsylvania (42nd).  New Jersey's total non-farm employment grew from 3,805,700 to 3,958,700 from January 2010 to August 2013. The numbers were seasonally adjusted. New Jersey's growth rate was 2.81%, lower than Pennsylvania at 3.40%, Connecticut at 3.80%, Delaware at 3.79%, Maryland was 4.70% and New York at 4.77%.  [BLS.gov, Accessed 9/20/13]

New Jersey Poverty Rate Reached A 52-Year High In 2011. Poverty in New Jersey continued to grow even as the national recession lifted, reaching a 52-year high in 2011, according to a report released today. The annual survey by Legal Services of New Jersey found 24.7 percent of the state's population — 2.1 million residents — was considered poor in 2011. That's a jump of more than 80,000 people — nearly 1 percent higher than the previous year and 3.8 percent more than pre-recession levels…. The report — the seventh issued by Legal Services — defines being poor in New Jersey as a family of three making less than $37,060. That's twice the federal poverty rate because New Jersey's cost of living is among the highest in the nation." [Star-Ledger, 9/8/13]

2009 CANDIDATE CHRISTIE WOULD HAVE RUN AGAINST 2013 GOVERNOR CHRISTIE'S RECORD

2009 Christie: New Jersey Suffered From The Highest Unemployment Rate In 33 Years, The Highest Tax Burden, The Highest Property Taxes, Going Up $1k On Average, And Needed A New Governor. "9.7% unemployment, the highest in New Jersey in 33 years, and the worst in the region. The highest tax burden in America on each and every New Jersey citizen. The highest property taxes in America, going up as much as $1,000 on average per household in the last four years. 200,000 jobs now nearly lost, nearly 200,000 just this year. New Jersey is in crisis, we are in crisis because we're taxed too much. Because we spend too much, and because we borrow too much. But you know, hope can be real again in New Jersey if we have a Governor that will come in and make the tough choices to cut spending. Hope can be real again if we cut income taxes across the board and cut business taxes." [Christie, New Jersey Gubernatorial Debate, 10/1/09 (video available)]

2009: Christie Pointed Out New Jersey's Unemployment Rate Was "At Least 0.7 Of A Percentage Point Or Higher Than New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware And Connecticut." "Christie calls Corzine's policies a "failure," and points to the unemployment rate as proof. He noted that in August, New Jersey's unemployment rate was at least 0.7 of a percentage point or higher than New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut." [Herald News, 10/18/09]

2009: Christie Criticized Corzine For Running Attack Ads While The State Was "Facing The Worst Unemployment Rate In The Region." "Calling Tuesday accountability day, Christie criticized Corzine for spending $25 million on negative, attack ads at a time when the state has the highest property taxes in the nation and is facing the worst unemployment rate in the region. Christie said Corzine represents higher taxes, more spending and more government programs." [Eastern Express Times, 10/31/09]

CHRISTIE'S CLAIMS TO CONTROLLING PROPERTY TAXES OMITS HIS CUTS TO PROPERTY TAX RELIEF THAT RESULTED IN 20% HIGHER TAXES FOR THE AVERAGE NEW JERSEY RESIDENT

Philadelphia Inquirer: Christie's First Ad Touted "No New Taxes For Anyone" But Christie "Christie Cut Into Tax Credit Programs, Which Effectively Raised Taxes On Some." "Viewers will see the phrase 'no new taxes for anyone.' But, to balance budgets, Christie cut into tax credit programs, which effectively raised taxes on some." [Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/2/13]

Gloucester County Times Editorial: "Christie's Flat Out Wrong When He Tells You That He's Not Raising People's Taxes" And He Should Be "Taken To Task If The Full Rebate Cuts Stick And He Tries To Keep Wearing That 'I Didn't Raise Taxes' Halo." "Though we're with him on most of the cuts, Christie's flat out wrong when he tells you that he's not raising people's taxes. Even if municipalities and school districts don't raise property taxes by a single penny, the planned suspension of state-funded rebates until at least April 2011 blows a hole in the wallets of middle-class households and senior citizens…But when Christie wants to effectively take $800 to $1,200 in rebates from so many households, with no guarantee that the funding will return, he has no right to say 'we are certainly not increasing the tax burden we place upon our people ... .' That's simply not true. Christie should be taken to task if the full rebate cuts stick and he tries to keep wearing that 'I didn't raise taxes' halo." [Editorial, Gloucester County Times, 3/17/2010]

5/13/13: Columnist Moran Headline: "Christie Fires Blanks At Study On Rising Property Taxes." [Columnist Tom Moran, Star-Ledger, 5/13/13]

Columnist Tom Moran: Christie, "Faced With A Compelling Study Showing That The Property Tax Burden On Average Homeowners" Rose Nearly 20 Percent "Gov. Chris Christie Lashed At The Author Of The Study While Failing Utterly To Refute The Findings." "There he goes again. Faced with a compelling study showing that the property tax burden on average homeowners in New Jersey has risen by 18 percent since he took office, Gov. Chris Christie lashed at the author of the study while failing utterly to refute the findings. The report on NJ Spotlight, written by Mark Magyar, considered the impact of the governor's decision to reduce rebate payments by billions of dollars. The governor promised during the campaign that he would restore the rebates, but once in office, did exactly the opposite. So even though property taxes are rising more slowly, the burden has grown because the rebates have been scaled back so sharply." [Columnist Tom Moran, Star-Ledger, 5/13/13]

Christie's Record Property Taxes Rose 18.6 Percent In His First Three Years, Compared To Just 6 Percent In Corzine's Last Three Years. "Net property taxes in New Jersey rose 18.6 percent in Gov. Chris Christie's first three years in office, compared to just 6 percent in Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine's last three years in office, a New Jersey Spotlight analysis shows.." [NJ Spotlight, 5/6/13]

·     5/12/13: Star-Ledger Editorial Headline: "Christie's Bogus Spin On Property Taxes." [Editorial, Star-Ledger, 5/12/13]

CHRISTIE CUT NEARLY $1 BILLION FROM PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THE LARGEST PER PUPIL SPENDING CUT IN THE NATION – WHICH NJ SCHOOLS STILL HAVE NOT RECOVERED FROM

Christie's $820 Million In Education Budget Resulted In 81 Percent Of Districts Planning On Cutting Staff, And Of Those 42 Percent Saying They Expected Class Size To Rise As A Result. "The school's dilemma marks a statewide trend as districts say aid cuts have meant staff reductions that in turn have led to larger class sizes. A survey by the New Jersey School Boards Association last summer, conducted after Gov. Chris Christie slashed school aid by $820 million, found 81 percent of responding districts said they intended to reduce teaching staff. Of those, 42 percent expected class size to rise as a result. … With a 2 percent cap on property tax increases coming next year, class size may increase further, West Orange School Superintendent Anthony Cavanna said."  [Star Ledger, 11/28/10]

·     Christie's FY11 Education Cuts Were The "Largest Yearly Decline Of Any State" Of Public Per Pupil Spending. "Per pupil spending for public elementary and secondary education fell in fiscal year 2011 – the first ever recorded annual decline, according to Census Bureau data released today. In all, the 50 states and the District of Columbia spent $10,560 per student, with more than three-quarters funding salaries and employee benefits. The decline represents only a 0.4 percent reduction from 2010, but it's the first year-over-year decrease since the federal government began recording data in 1977. Public spending fell by $873 per pupil in New Jersey, the largest yearly decline of any state, followed by Illinois (-$860) and Maine (-$820). A total of 21 states reported spending drops from 2010." [Governing.com, 5/21/13]

NJ Spotlight: Schools "Actually Received More In Overall Aid" In Fiscal Year 2010, And Now "Districts Are Getting Close To Returning To Those 2010 Totals Under Christie's Latest Budget, But The Financial Wounds Were Deep" And "Few Would Say They Have Healed." "It's not easy to tell whether this is the most generous education budget in history or one of the most egregious, given the rhetoric coming from both sides in the debate. Actually there is a bit of truth in each. The governor is in full reelection mode, pitching the state's investment in school aid as the highest ever. And strictly by the numbers, the amount is indeed the most the state has directly paid. But that's hardly the full picture. In fiscal 2010, schools actually received more in overall aid, helped by an additional $1 billion in federal stimulus money. The year after, without that help, Christie made deep aid cuts to schools, leading to unprecedented layoffs and decimated programs. Three years later, districts are getting close to returning to those 2010 totals under Christie's latest budget, but the financial wounds were deep and with a 2 percent tax cap in place since then, few would say they have healed." [NJ Spotlight, 4/09/13]

The FY14 Budget Would Leave 477 Schools, Or Just Over 80% Of Schools With Less State Aid Then They Received The Year Before Governor Christie Took Office. "The vast majority of NJ school districts have yet to recover from Governor Christie's $1.1 billion cut in state aid in his FY11 budget.  A new analysis by ELC shows that, even with the Governor's slight aid increase proposed for the FY14 State Budget, 477 districts will remain below the level of state aid they received the year before the Governor took office. In the 2010-11 school year, Governor Christie cut state aid to districts in an amount equal to 5% of their total operating budgets." The New Jersey Department of Education said there were 590 school districts in New Jersey. [Education Law Center, 4/4/13; New Jersey DOE, Accessed 9/2/13]

CHRISTIE'S CLAIMED HE BALANCED FOUR BUDGETS, WHICH WAS CONSTITUTIONALLY REQUIRED

PolitiFact: "New Jersey's Constitution Requires A Balanced Budget Every Year." [PolitiFact, 8/28/12]

Wall Street Journal Political Diary: "For Instance, Mr. Christie's First Large Ad Buy Touts The Four Balanced Budgets He's Signed, As If The State Constitution Didn't Require A Balanced Budget…" [Political Diary, Wall Street Journal, 5/7/13]

PolitickerNJ: Christie Claimed Four Balanced Budgets During His Term But "By Law The State's Budget Must Be Balanced, So Christie Has Not Had A Choice." "The release also links to articles refuting the governor's claims that he has presented four balanced budgets during his term.  By law the state's budget must be balanced, so Christie has not had a choice." [PolitickerNJ, 5/1/13]

For those interested in the fate of the Lincroft Library building.....

At tonight's Special Meeting of the Board of Education taking place at 6:30pm at the August T. Miner (Board of Ed) Administrative building on Leonardville Road, the board plans to enter into a five year lease agreement with the township for use of the Lincroft Library building for administrative offices, leasing the building for just $1 per year to the township.

In reading the lease, it is not clear what administrative offices would be housed in the building, and whether Crossroads drug rehab counseling center is outside of the allowed use, seeing how Crossroads is in the process of vacating Croydon Hall to move there.  Furthermore, the Lincroft community was not given the opportunity to collaborate with the Board of Education on the use of the building, as Dr. George had promised would happen. Members of the community felt strongly that if they were going to lose the library then they would want the future use to be in line with what was lost, i.e., for the building to have an educational use that benefits the children. While the Board of Education may not have an educational purpose for this building now, they may have one later. A shorter term lease should be given and then the use of the property could  re-assessed in a new budget year.

It would seem that the residents and students of Lincroft all lose out on this deal. Educational enrichment, clubs, community center, etc..... are all possibilities that could be of benefit to students and the community. How does leasing the building for the township's administrative offices benefit any students other than those who will be attending the all girl "Catholic" school, Trinity Hall?  Did they even think in a progressive way at all or reach out to non-profits, Brookdale, or other educational entities to see if there would be a better fit for the building or community? Apparently not.

You would think that after constantly being reminded by the Township Committee that 62% of all taxes collected in Middletown goes to the Board of Education and that is why our taxes are sooo high, the Board of Eduction would want to off set those taxes in someway by leasing the building to someone that would pay more than $1 per year. Again, apparently not.

The agenda and property agreement to lease the Lincroft Library to the Township can be found  - HERE

(Thanks to M.E.  for the heads up)

President Obama's Weekly Address 7/27/13: A Better Bargain for the Middle Class

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama told the American people about his speech at Knox College on Wednesday, where he discussed the cornerstones of what it means to be middle class, including having a good job, a home that is your own, quality education, a secure retirement, and affordable health care. While we have laid the foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth, there is more work to be done, and that is why over the coming weeks the President will continue to lay out his plan for growing the economy from the middle out, and create a better bargain for the middle class.

PALLONE FOR SENATE ENDORSED BY LAUTENBERG FAMILY

STATEMENT FROM THE FAMILY OF SENATOR FRANK R. LAUTENBERG:

“Frank Lautenberg followed three fundamental principles as New Jersey’s U.S. Senator: stay true to his progressive values, put New Jersey first, and be a workhorse, not a showhorse. After he announced his retirement, he spoke often about his desire that his replacement in the Senate respect those core principles and continue his work.

Deciding which candidate to endorse was not an easy decision. Most of the candidates in the Democratic field have proven themselves as hardworking, progressive leaders who care deeply about New Jersey. But only one of them stands out as ready to continue Frank Lautenberg’s progressive leadership in the U.S. Senate. That candidate is Congressman Frank Pallone.
We are saying: Stick with Frank.

Frank Pallone, like Frank Lautenberg, has always looked out for working families in New Jersey and made them his top priority – in fighting for economic justice, healthcare reform, environmental protection, education and so many other issues. Frank Pallone, like our Frank, will put in the hours and hard work necessary to fight for New Jersey in the Senate. And Frank Pallone knows that gimmicks and celebrity status won’t get you very far in the real battles that Democrats face in the future.

Frank Pallone worked with Frank Lautenberg for many years. He understands what it takes to take on and defeat Republicans and the special interests that attack the well being of working families. While it may not always attract glamorous headlines, Frank knows that to be effective you must put New Jersey and your principles first, not your own glory.

When New Jersey Democrats examine the Senate candidates closely, they may be surprised to find out that not all of them share core Democratic values or loyalty to the party. And one candidate stands out as the best hope of continuing the progressive legacy of Senator Frank Lautenberg – Congressman Frank Pallone.”

President Obama's Weekly Address 6/22/13: Time for Congress to Pass Commonsense Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON, DC—In this week’s address, President Obama discussed the bipartisan legislation being debated in the United States Senate that would take important steps towards fixing our broken immigration system, while growing our economy and reducing the deficit. The President urges Congress to pass immigration reform so that we can live up to our traditions as a nation of laws, and also a nation of immigrants.

"Gov. Christie seems unwilling to acknowledge that N.J. jobs crisis is real"

This Times of Trenton column by New Jersey Working Families Alliance Director Bill Holland, pointing out Governor Chris Christie's failure to adequately deal with or even acknowledge New Jersey's jobs crisis. Instead, the governor insists on doubling down on the discredited trickle-down policies of the past.

Times of Trenton

By Bill Holland

On Tuesday, Gov. Christie released the fourth and final budget of his term. Legislators and advocates will spend the next weeks poring over the budget to see what’s been funded and what’s been cut. But just as important as what is in the budget is what Christie seems to have left out: a comprehensive plan to deal with the state’s jobs crisis.

Unfortunately, the governor seems unwilling to acknowledge that the jobs crisis is real, much less to offer viable solutions. Instead, he doubled down on what has so far been his only big idea for jobs creation: paying off corporations in the hope that they will someday create jobs. In his budget speech, he touted more cuts for business. His budget summary also includes $2.3 billion in “targeted” tax breaks for corporations – meaning yet more subsidies and tax credits for businesses.

The problem is that these corporate giveaways haven’t been very good at creating jobs. In 2011, Campbell’s Soup took $32.4 million while laying off 130 workers in Camden, one of the poorest cities in America. That same year, the state also awarded $12.3 million to Citigroup to move New York employees to their New Jersey offices. Citigroup took the money and then cut 276 New Jersey jobs in Bergen County two months later. And Christie’s tax break for the developers of Revel Casino has been a spectacular failure. Just last week, the troubled casino announced it’s filing for bankruptcy.

We’ve tried corporate welfare for the last three years and it simply hasn’t worked. While other states are recovering from the 2007 economic crisis, New Jersey seems stuck in a rut. The state’s unemployment rate is the fourth-highest in the nation and it ranks a dismal 47th in economic growth. Pennsylvania has already restored 75 percent of the jobs lost there since the start of the recession. New Jersey has only restored 35 percent. If we stay on the same course, we’re not expected to return to pre-recession employment until 2018.

Worse yet, corporate tax cuts have come at a cost to working families in the form of higher tuition, transit fares, public school fees and property taxes. It’s also led to cuts to pro-employment programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, affordable after-school care and funding for our public colleges and universities. Non-partisan think-tank New Jersey Policy Perspective found that without the governor’s budget cuts, our unemployment rate would be down a point or more. Instead, working families are paying more, getting less and looking for jobs that just aren’t there.

Christie has it backward. Instead of buying the wealthy off with ineffective tax breaks and paying for them with budget cuts, he should be asking the wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share so that we can invest in strong, safe communities, a well-trained work force, a quality transit system and the fundamentals we need to make New Jersey a great place to live and do business.

There are better choices available to him. Ending his tax cuts for the richest 1 percent of New Jerseyans could generate more than $1 billion in revenue that could help make college more affordable, keep our streets safe, and invest in transit and green jobs creation. Ending the corporate tax breaks included in this year’s budget could save $540 million more this year and much more in the years to come.

New Jersey can’t afford to double down on trickle-down policies that have failed us so far. We need a real jobs program and a way to pay for it. Legislators should have the courage and vision to fight for both this year.

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Bill Holland is executive director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance and coordinator of the Better Choices for New Jersey campaign.

The 32 Dumbest And Most Devastating Sequester Cuts

And they go on and on and on....

From ThinkProgress.org

Health care

$20 million cut from the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs
$10 million cut from the World Trade Center Health Program Fund
$168 million cut from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
$75 million cut from the Aging and Disability Services Programs

Housing

$199 million cut from public housing
$96 million cut from Homeless Assistance Grants
$17 million cut from Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS
$19 million cut from Housing for the Elderly
$175 million cut from Low Income Home Energy Assistance

Disaster and Emergency

$928 million cut from FEMA’s disaster relief money
$6 million cut from Emergency Food and Shelter
$70 million cut from the Agricultural Disaster Relief Fund at USDA
$61 million cut from the Hazardous Substance Superfund at EPA
$125 million cut from the Wildland Fire Management
$53 million cut from Salaries and Expenses at the Food Safety and Inspection Service

Obamacare

$13 million cut from the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan Program (Co-ops)
$57 million cut from the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control
$51 million cut from the Prevention and Public Health Fund
$27 million cut from the State Grants and Demonstrations
$44 million cut from the Affordable Insurance Exchange Grants program

Education

$633 million cut from the Department of Education’s Special Education programs
$184 million cut from Rehabilitation Services and Disability Research
$71 million cut from administration at the Office of Federal Student Aid
$116 million cut from Higher Education
$86 million cut from Student Financial Assistance

Immigration

$512 million cut from Customs and Border Protection
$17 million cut from Automation Modernization, Customs and Border Protection
$20 million cut from Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure, and Technology

Security

$79 million cut from Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance
$604 million cut from National Nuclear Security Administration
$232 million cut from the Federal Aviation Administration
$394 million cut from Defense Environmental Cleanup

The latest projections from the Congressional Budget Office show that the nation’s deficits have shrunk by trillions of dollars, and the debt is close to being stabilized as a percentage of the economy. Meanwhile, budget cuts have already reduced spending by $1.5 trillion and even with the revenue included in the fiscal cliff deal, the ratio of cuts to revenue stands at an unbalanced 3 to 1.

President Obama's Weekly Address 2/16/12: Following the President’s Plan for a Strong Middle Class

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama called for quick action on the proposals he made during the State of the Union to grow our economy and create jobs, including making America a magnet for manufacturing, strengthening our education system through high-quality preschool for every child, and raising the minimum wage. Congress must also act now to avert the sequester, which would be a harmful and self-inflicted wound on our economy, by reducing our deficit in a balanced way that makes investments in areas that help us grow and cuts what we don’t need.

Pallone Statement on Obama State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) issued the following statement in reaction to President Obama’s State of the Union Address to Congress:

“President Obama offered a strong agenda to addressing some of our nation’s most challenging problems. I was encouraged to hear his emphasis on creating jobs, rebuilding our economy and working together to stem violence in our culture.

“The president’s jobs agenda must be acted on by this Congress. As the president noted, manufacturing has been a bright spot for our nation’s economy and we should continue to take steps to encourage American businesses to make their products here in America. Manufacturing can continue to be a driver of our economy and we should work together to foster growth.

“I was also pleased to hear President Obama make a commitment to working to reform our energy future and address climate change. He rightly noted that weather events like Superstorm Sandy, which devastated so much of Jersey Shore, are a frightening indication of the power of climate change and why we can and must take action while we can still make a positive impact. I agree with the president’s position that we must take steps to expedite the transition to alternative energy, which will be good for our planet and our economy.

“As the president said, energy is ‘just one part of an aging infrastructure’ that needs to be addressed. I was excited to hear the president talk about his ‘Fix it First’ and ‘Partnership to Rebuild’ plans. These could be positive steps that could create jobs while rebuilding our nation.

“The most important thing we can do for the future of our nation is to provide the best education in the world to our children and I was interested to hear President Obama’s proposals on improving our education system. We need to create new opportunities for our children to continue to be competitive in the global economy.

“President Obama also touched on the challenging issue of immigration reform and the need to address poverty in the wealthiest nation on Earth by calling for an increase in the federal minimum wage. We need to improve wages in the United States so that we working families can gain access to the middle class.

“Along with improved wages, must come equality and fairness when it comes to earning, which is why equal pay for equal work continues to be critical for improving our economy. Women must earn the same wages as men for the same work and not have to worry about discrimination in the work place. I was also encouraged to hear the president call to the Violence Against Women Act that passed in the Senate today and I look forward to voting for in the House.

“President Obama’s commitment to continuing to ensure our nation’s security while working to finish our job in Afghanistan will also be critical to strengthening the country. He noted that we face a different set of challenges now, so it is time to consider reducing nuclear weapon stockpiles while improving our security against cyber threats.

“The President also touched on critical issues like equality and improving voting rights. I agree that we can and must find solutions to these pressing issues in the 113th Congress.

“Finally, I stand with President Obama and plan to work with him to prevent gun violence in our nation. We cannot lose more innocent lives to gun violence in this country and we need to work together to find develop a plan that protects all Americans.

“President Obama’s State of the Union address set out bold plans for his presidency and the 113th Congress. Many of the president’s initiatives can be achieve with a bipartisan approach. Democrats and Republicans must work together to achieve these common goals and I look forward to addressing our nation’s challenges head on with my colleagues in Congress.”