NJEA President Barbara Keshishian issued the following statement:
“Gov. Chris Christie has used what should be good news – New Jersey’s selection as a finalist for $400 million in federal ‘Race to the Top’ funding – to once again attack NJEA and its members.
“It’s a tired act, and it needs to end. This governor – who has cut $1.4 billion from public education, resulting in the layoff of thousands of teachers and deep program cuts that will hurt students badly – now wants to make people believe he’s the champion of public education.
“That’s absurd and dishonest.
“The fact is, throughout April and May, a team of talented researchers and educators retained by NJEA worked closely with state Education Commissioner Bret Schundler in an effort to develop a winning ‘Race to the Top’ application. They combed through mountains of research, and on May 28, reached agreement with Commissioner Schundler on an application that NJEA felt was research-based, educationally sound, and highly creative in areas like merit pay.
“More than 400 of our local associations also signed onto that application.
“Unfortunately, on June 1 – the deadline for the application – Gov. Christie rejected the Schundler application, and submitted his own. The overwhelming majority of our local affiliates then withdrew their support.
“That application was creative and well-conceived – not ‘watered down’ or ‘status quo’ driven, as the governor would have people believe.
“It is clear by now that this governor will do anything to deflect attention away from the damage that his cuts have done to public education. He traffics in bumper sticker soundbites attacking teachers and NJEA, but real education policy is more complicated than that.
“If New Jersey does end up winning a grant, the infusion of resources may help in some small way to offset the deep cuts in school aid enacted by Governor Christie and the Legislature. Those cuts, however, are 14 times the amount of annual funding that the grant would bring.
“If New Jersey receives a grant, NJEA will seek to work cooperatively with the Department of Education to implement effective education reforms which will keep New Jersey public schools among the very best in the nation.”