Latest News At NJEA

NJEA testifies against tenure bill

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:34:47 -0400

NJEA Director of Government Relations Ginger Gold Schnitzer delivered detailed testimony to the Senate Education Committee today on S-1455, a tenure bill that would essentially eliminate tenure by taking away due process rights from tenured New Jersey teachers.

“NJEA does not want ineffective teachers in the classrooms of our public schools,” Gold Schnitzer told the committee. Then, citing two main thrusts of NJEA’s proposal, she added that “the process for dismissing an ineffective teacher can – and should – take less time and cost less money.” NJEA’s proposal would replicate the dismissal law adopted 20 years ago in Massachusetts, where the courts were removed from the process and replaced with final and binding arbitration hearings.

“This system has been working in Massachusetts for years, and by the way, like New Jersey, Massachusetts is also leading the nation in student achievement,” Gold Schnitzer said.

S-1455, sponsored by Education Committee Chair Sen. Teresa Ruiz, allows districts to take away tenure after two poor evaluations, but provides no opportunity for teachers to challenge the validity of those evaluations. Dubbed the TEACHNJ Act, the bill would leave schools and teachers vulnerable to inappropriate political influence.

NJEA is opposing the bill, and promoting its own proactive tenure reform proposal, which streamlines the process but preserves due process rights to protect effective teachers from mistreatment.

One key concern of NJEA’s is that S-1455 would rely on a yet-to-be designed evaluation process to make critical decisions about teacher dismissal.

“NJEA believes that since a teacher’s career status will hinge on this new evaluation system, we ought to know and agree upon what that system looks like – and make sure it works – before making sweeping changes to the tenure law,” said Gold Schnitzer.

“Addressing tenure without a serious and conclusive discussion about evaluation is like building a house before the foundation is set,” she warned.

A comparison of the two bills highlights the significant problems with the TEACHNJ Act. NJEA has already shared this information with key legislators and legislative leaders.

The bill was heard for discussion only and is not yet scheduled for a vote by the committee.

NJEA is urging members to take action. Contact your legislators today. Share the facts about tenure on New Jersey and urge them to support NJEA’s smart tenure reform proposal that puts great teachers in every classroom and protects those teachers from political interference and mistreatment.

Opinion: Teachers Teach the Test When the Test Tests Teachers

Mon, 21 May 2012 11:34:19 -0400

In a recent post by Jersey Jazzman, a widely read teacher blogger, he discusses the realities of using standardized test scores to evaluate teachers. According to the Jazzman, “You can pretend that the bubble test is "only part of the evaluation," but that's a delusion. It is all of the decision. When you attach phony precision to the test, it doesn't matter what kind of evaluations of teacher practice you do; the test becomes the deciding factor.”
Read full post

Read more by the Jersey Jazzman

Ocean County College faculty vote no confidence in OCC president

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:35:36 -0400

FAOCC President Kathy Tietge spoke to members of the NJEA Higher Education Committee at the Higher Education Conference on April 20.

The president of the Faculty Association of Ocean County College (FAOCC), Kathy Tietge, knows that this is not the first time her boss has earned a vote of no confidence from a county college staff. In fact, for Ocean County College President Jon Larson, being on the receiving end of such votes is something of a pattern.

In October 1999, the support staff union at Luzerne County Community College in Pennsylvania, where Larson was then president, passed a no-confidence resolution stating that his leadership had led to the “worst state of morale in the history of the college.”

In April 2000, the faculty union at Luzerne passed a resolution charging Larson with causing “irreparable damage to the College’s reputation in the community by the consistently negative media reportage of his fiscal improprieties.”

Now, it’s Ocean County College faculty’s turn to weigh in on Larson’s leadership.

“This guy is not fit to be president,” Tietge said in an April 20 interview. “His inability to lead this college has galvanized the faculty against him.”

On April 23, Tietge presented to the school’s board of trustees a no-confidence resolution calling for the board to “take immediate steps to respond to this crisis by whatever means necessary, up to and including the dismissal of Jon Larson from his position as president of Ocean County College.”

Of the 67 FAOCC members who voted, 60 indicated no confidence in Larson and six abstained. Only one voted in favor of Larson. The association, which represents that full-time faculty at the college, has 102 members. The secret-ballot vote was conducted through the mail by the American Arbitration Association.

Tietge cited the dismissal of the school’s purchasing manager, Larson’s refusal to recommend tenure for an exemplary staff member, and controversial administrative actions stretching back to 2006 as key factors in the staff’s negative opinion of the college president.

Alleged fiscal impropriety

Among the key charges made against Larson in the no-confidence resolution is that he fired the “whistle blower” who tried to put a stop to questionable accounting and procurement policies at the school.

That whistle blower was Joseph Reilly, the manager of purchasing at OCC from June to December 2010. Reilly came to the position with an impressive resume. He was a New Jersey deputy attorney general from 1985 to 1999. He had also been the deputy director of the State Division of Purchase and Property from 1999 to 2003.

Filling a position that had been left vacant for five years, Reilly found that purchasing and contract awards at OCC were not being conducted in accordance with procurement law and school policy. He set about rectifying his concerns by bringing them to the attention of the school’s senior staff and college counsel.

In July 2010, Reilly proposed improved purchasing and policy procedures, and in August stronger terms and conditions for standard college contracts. Reilly also alerted state officials, including the office of Gov. Chris Christie, to concerns he had raised that had gone unaddressed at the college.

That November he was notified that due to a projected $1.5 million budgetary shortfall, his position along with 13 others was to be eliminated. Reilly was assured that the decision was not based on any negative work performance, but to “create greater efficiency of college operations” and that his was a “function that could be eliminated and done without.”

Reilly questioned this in a detailed letter to the board of trustees, asking them to reinstate his position.

The board nonetheless affirmed Larson’s layoffs and Reilly was dismissed.

In February, Reilly filed a civil lawsuit in the Superior Court of New Jersey alleging that his dismissal violated the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA), commonly called the “Whistleblower Statute.”

On Feb. 15, Tietge, Reilly, and NJEA UniServ field representative Chris Berzinski held a press conference to highlight Reilly’s allegations and to call for Larson’s resignation as well as the resignation of board members and administrators who had allowed alleged illegal practices to continue at OCC.

In response, the OCC Board of Trustees issued a resolution demanding retractions and apologies from Tietge and Berzinski authorizing the board attorney to explore lawsuits against them. The board characterized Reilly as a “disgruntled former employee.”

Freedom of speech

“Larson started here in 2000, but the 2005-06 school year is when the honeymoon was over,” Tietge said.

That was the year that the college’s board decided to deny tenure to two faculty members who had received five years of positive evaluations and to not renew the contract of a third teacher not yet eligible for tenure. Two of the three had signed an FAOCC-initiated petition in support of Karen Bosley, a tenured professor who had been removed from her role as advisor the student newspaper, the Viking News. The third, who had not signed the petition, was the son of a tenured professor who had signed the petition.

At New Jersey’s county and state colleges, full-time teachers may apply for tenure during their fifth year of employment and earn it upon receiving a contract for a sixth year.

Many faculty members believed that the tenure and renewal decisions were made in retaliation for signing the petition.

While Larson insisted that the advisor was removed for not adequately performing her job, Bosley countered that she was removed because Larson took a dim view of Viking News articles that were critical of him. The Viking News had questioned the $78,000 set aside for Larson’s inauguration, a $3,200 per month billboard campaign to attract students, a new school logo designed under Larson’s watch, and a change in the college’s activity period made with minimal input from students.

An April 9, 2006 New York Times article on Bosley’s dismissal reported that the Viking News editor-in-chief and another student who had written an article critical of the activity period change were summoned to a meeting with Larson. The Times reported that the editor, Scott Coppola, left the meeting “shaken and concerned,” believing that Bosely was dismissed because Larson was “intent on controlling the newspaper’s content.”

Bosely sued the school in federal court. In a subsequent settlement, she was reinstated as faculty advisor to the Viking News.

Shifting lines of accountability

“What happened to Maria was the last straw,” Tietge said.

In her five years teaching sociology and political science at OCC, Professor Maria Flynn had received excellent evaluations from her superiors and rave reviews from her students. No one was surprised when both her supervisor and the OCC tenure committee recommended her for tenure. Only the final approval of Larson and of Vice President of Academic Affairs Richard Strada remained.

Larson and Strada denied her tenure application. In a meeting with Flynn, Larson told her that she was not receiving tenure because she did not live in Ocean County. Flynn said that Larson told her that “as a sociologist, only by living in the community you were teaching in could you understand the institutions that make up the culture.”

With FAOCC support, Flynn is appealing Larson’s denial of her tenure application.

Tietge noted that since Larson came to OCC, there have been numerous restructurings making it difficult for staff to understand what is expected of them.

“Since beginning his tenure as president in 2000, President Larson has carried out four major reorganizations, involving fourteen different academic deans, with frequent shifting of the lines of accountability,” the no-confidence resolution reads.

“In that time, 27 faculty members were in line for tenure,” Tietge pointed out. “And each of them had two to three different deans.”

A “good politician”

Within four months of the no-confidence vote from the faculty at Luzerne County Community College, Larson was gone. Whether a similar fate awaits him in the wake of the no-confidence vote at OCC remains to be seen.

“Larson is a good politician who knows how to keep the board of trustees and the county freeholders believing that he’s the right man for the job,” Tietge said. “He always tells them that it’s only a handful of the faculty who do not support him.

“But a no-confidence vote that passes by a margin of 60-1 says otherwise,” she concluded.

New Jersey Bus Driver Appreciation Day

Thu, 17 May 2012 15:54:42 -0400

Among public school employees, school bus drivers are the first to see students in the morning and the last to see them after the school day ends. They play an important role in helping to keep children safe.

In honor of New Jersey Bus Driver Appreciation Day, here are three Classroom Close-up, NJ stories on the difference that school bus drivers are making in students’ lives

NJEA, which represents many school bus drivers in public schools across the state, is proud to honor school bus drivers’ work and contributions to our community.

For tips on how you can help keep children safe on and around school buses, read NJEA’s free tip brochure, “Bus Safety: We All Play A Role."

Experience collaborative professional learning at NJEA's Summer Institute

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:09:34 -0400

NJEA’s 2012 Summer Professional Learning Institute features four separate workshops. Hear from teacher leaders, collaborate with others around your own experiences, reflect on new practices, and develop plans for the new year. Attend as many days as you’d like, alone or as a member of a team. Come ready to learn and to share.

Tuesday, July 10

C.A.R.E.: Strategies for Closing the Achievement Gaps

Target audience: grades K-12

Culturally competent teaching gives educators necessary strategies in working with students from diverse backgrounds that match students’ ways of understanding and interacting with the world. Develop new skills to close the achievement gap that exists among race, gender, language, and social class groups.

Presenters: Amanda Adams & Millie Perrine

Thursday, July 12

Using Storytelling, Folk Literature and Drama to Enhance Literacy

Target audience: grades K-5

Because many English language learners (ELLs) come from cultures rich in traditional folklore, folktales are a great resource for instruction. Storytelling with drama allows students to participate at their own levels, developing a wide variety of language arts skills. Gain hands-on experience that will enable you to create lessons that engage all learners and meet Common Core Standards.

Presenters: Julia A. Mahoney & Ellen V. Simpson

Tuesday, July 17

Providing Optimum Learning Experiences for English Language Learners

Target audience: grades 3-12

As the population of students who are English language learners in New Jersey grows, so do the demands for their full inclusion into the academic program. Learn about the basic elements of second language acquisition and seven essential elements for building an effective school community for English language learners.

Presenter: Judie Haynes

Thursday, July 19

When the Going Gets ROUGH, the TOUGH Get Going

Target audience: General & Special Education Teachers K-12

Students with disabilities often present with challenges that are both behavioral and academic. Work with colleagues to develop a variety of new positive strategies for dealing with all students, regardless of their disabilities, in this highly interactive learning experience.

Presenter: Claudette Peterkin

All sessions will be held at NJEA Headquarters,180 West State Street, Trenton, NJ. Each workshop provides five hours of professional development credit. Participants must attend the entire day to receive a certificate.

Workshop Schedule

Registration and continental breakfast: 9-10 a.m.

Workshop: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Registration

The workshop cost is $25 per participant, and $100 for team of five from the same school district on the same day.

Continental breakfast and lunch are included in the registration fee.

Teams must register by mail
Individuals can register online

Registration deadline: June 15. Space is limited.

NJEA, NJCCC honor community college scholars

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:22:52 -0400

NJEA joined the New Jersey Council of County Colleges to honor New Jersey’s 35 best and brightest community college students and their families at the 18^th annual Phi Theta Kappa Day celebration on Thursday, May 3, at the Trenton Marriott Hotel.

“Each year, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges hosts this program to recognize the members of the New Jersey All-State Academic Team, sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for community colleges, the Coca-Cola Foundation and the New Jersey Education Association,” said NJCCC President Dr. Lawrence Nespoli. “These students are recognized for their outstanding academic achievement and exceptional service to their communities as members of Phi Theta Kappa at their local community colleges.”

Essex County College honor student Carla Alvarez-Valverde delivered one of the keynote addresses. A Business Administration major, Alvarez-Valverde was recently named a recipient of the renowned Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Transfer scholarship, worth $30,000 a year for up to three years. She was also named a Coca-Cola Foundation New Century Scholar, and will also receive a $2,000 scholarship for being New Jersey's top community college student.

quo;My parents always told me your life is your responsibility,” Alvarez-Valverde, who is originally from Ecuador, told the audience. She took an English as a Second Language class at Essex County College prior to entering the Honors Program and joining PTK where she served as president this past year. “Big dreams can be supported by concrete plans,” she said, adding that students should harness challenges they face into opportunities.

Alvarez-Valverde also thanked her teachers and fellow students for being a surrogate family in her new country.

NJEA Secretary-Treasurer Marie Blistan congratulated the students, their families, and teachers on their successes. “I am a proud graduate of Camden County Community College. So I can tell you from personal experience that your education at community colleges will take you far in life. Use this experience to achieve your dreams.”

NJEA represents about 4,000 professors and educational support professionals working in New Jersey’s community colleges.

Help fight pediatric cancer with Go4theGoal

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:13:22 -0400

Cancer has no boundaries. It affects people of all walks of life and all ages, even children. That’s why the Go4theGoal Foundation has declared September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Sept. 27 as National Dress 4 Pediatric Cancer Day.

“We chose this day, as it was the birthday of Richard Stefanacci, the young man whose family started the foundation when he was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma in 2006,” explained Randy Pickus of the Go4theGoal Foundation.

Last year, 28 schools in New Jersey participated in the National Dress 4 Pediatric Cancer Day and several have already signed up for next school year. The Foundation is also promoting a program called Lace-Up 4 Pediatric Cancer which offers students the opportunity to sell and purchase neon shoe laces to show their support for children battling cancer.

In mid‐February, the Haddonfield, NJ community pulled out all the stops to support two students at Haddonfield Middle School and Haddonfield Memorial High School whom had recently been diagnosed with cancer. As the difficult news spread across town, a group of parents familiar with the Lace-Up 4 Pediatric Cancer program reached out to Go4theGoal to order a few hundred NEON yellow shoelaces to distribute to kids around town to show both support for the boys and their families and to raise awareness about pediatric cancer in the community.

“The community’s response was immediate and remarkable. Students held sales in the High School and Middle School and in shops around town. Within a week, we sold over 7,000 pair of laces and raised more than $30,000 in lace sales and donations,” said Jean-Anne McMahon, a Haddonfield resident.

Go4theGoal’s mission is to help make the lives of children affected by cancer as "normal" as possible by granting personal wishes, providing financial support to them and their families, developing and implementing unique hospital programs and funding grants for innovative pediatric cancer research. All money raised stays in the surrounding community.

For more information, contact Ms. Randy E. Pickus directly at Go4theGoal Foundation, PO Box 433, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ 07423, (508) 269-8795, randypickus@go4thegoal.org

BlueClaws host College Fair Night

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:23:18 -0400

On May 24, the Lakewood BlueClaws will take on the Hagerstown Suns at 6:35 p.m. Come to the ballpark early for an opportunity to meet college recruiters during College Fair Night. Students enjoy the game for free and family members can purchase tickets for $7.

For more information, contact Andy Granozio at 732-901-7000, ext. 175 or send an e-mail to agranozio@blueclaws.com.

Help your students learn through gardening

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:01:14 -0400

Learning Through Gardening, a program of the New Jersey Agricultural Society, will present two workshops in July. Both will be held at the Rutgers Eco-complex in Bordentown, NJ, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Cultivate the Curriculum” is scheduled for Thursday, July 12. Participants will learn how to build and maintain a school garden and incorporate it into their daily lessons.

“Eat, Plant, Read” will be held on Wednesday, July 18. This workshop connects children's literature to the garden. Learn how to plant vegetables from the books and link them to literature lessons and simple recipes which encourage your students to make healthier food choices.

Each program also features a tour of the Eco-Complex's state-of-the-art facility. The cost for each workshop is $95.

To register for either of these workshops, contact Suzanne Macauley at njagsociety@optonline.net or visit http://njagsociety.org/aitc/aitc.htm.

NJEA PAC endorses Marie Corfield for Assembly

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:58:24 -0400

The New Jersey Education Association’s 125-member political action committee (NJEA PAC) has endorsed NJEA member and Flemington art teacher Marie Corfield (D) for Assembly in the 16th Legislative District.

In 2011, Corfield ran for the Assembly in Legislative District 16 against Republican incumbent Pete Biondi. Biondi passed away in November 2011, necessitating a special election this year.

NJEA PAC voted on the recommendations of the local interview team. Further endorsements will be released following the NJEA PAC general election endorsement meeting in August.

Corfield has received NJEA PAC’s endorsement through the general election. New Jersey’s primary election day is June 5.