Shundler blasts Christie’s handling of Race to the Top entry:  Fired New Jersey education commissioner Bret Schundler on Thursday plans to accuse Gov. Chris Christie of caring more about sticking to his public image as a foe of the teachers union than winning $400 million in federal education funds.  (Fleisher, The Wallstreet Journal)http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703735804575536930329611548.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

 ·         Legislative Schedule
·         Governor’s State of the State Message
·         Senate confirms Governor’s nominees to State Board of Education
 
Legislative Schedule
January 20:      Senate and Assembly committees meet—agendas not yet
available
January 24:      Assembly committees meet—agendas not yet available
January 31:      Senate committees meet—agendas not yet available.
February 3:      Assembly Committees—agendas not yet available
February 7:      Senate Committees—agendas not yet available
February 10:    Assembly Committees—agendas not yet available
February 14:    Senate Committees—agendas not yet available
February 17:    Senate and Assembly voting sessions—no further info
available.
February 22:    Governor’s Budget Address
 
Governor’s State of the State Message
Governor Christie gave his first State of the State Address this afternoon. 
In this speech he advocated for:
·         More pension and health benefits changes
·         Passage of a private school voucher program
·         Elimination of teacher tenure
·         Elimination of seniority rules
·         Merit pay for individual teachers
 
By the way… Former D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee was in the audience
as the Governor’s invited guest.   See this article:
http://www.politickernj.com/44078/christie-doubles-down-call-program-cuts
 
 Here is the full text of the speech:
http://www.politickernj.com/44077/full-text-state-state-speech
 
If you don’t want to read the whole thing… here are some quotes by topic:
 
… on how much he has changed Trenton:
“You know a lot has changed when the people of the State vote down a record
number of school budgets— even though 70% of the money in school elections
was spent by the teachers’ unions, advocating even higher spending.”
“You know our direction has changed when the teacher’s union starts talking
about tenure reform.”
“ And you know the world has changed when we can come together and actually
begin to reform the pension and benefit system— in a nearly unanimous vote.”
 
… outline of topics in the speech:
 
“For this year, the biggest things fall in three categories:
 One: we must stick to the course of fiscal discipline.
 Two: we must fix our pension and health benefit systems in order to save
them.
 And three: we must reform our schools to make them the best in the nation.”
 
… Pension and benefits reform:
 
“The second big issue we must tackle this year is our antiquated and
unsustainable pension and benefit system.  This cloud hangs over us — and
almost every state in the union.
 It is one of the reasons New Jerseyans pay the highest property taxes in
America.
 Nearly 75%— 3 out of every 4 dollars— of our State’s municipal and county
budgets are driven by personnel and labor costs.”
 
“The pension and benefit reforms I have put forward are simple,
straightforward, and sensible.
 We must modestly raise the retirement age in an era of longer life
expectancy.
 We must curb the effect of COLAs in a time of low or no inflation.
 And we must ensure a modest but acceptable contribution from employees
toward their own retirement system. Finally, if we can make real reform a
reality, the State must also begin to make its pension contributions.”
 
“Without reform, the problem we face is simple:
 Benefits are too rich, and contributions are too small, and the system is
on a path to bankruptcy.
So to every beneficiary of the system:  I am fighting for your pension.”
 
“And to the members of the legislature, I say:
 Please join me in doing so.
 Now as part of our negotiation on interest arbitration, the Leadership of
the Legislature promised to take up this necessary package of pension and
benefit reforms.
 Now is the time for us to finish what we started last March.
 We should pass this package now.
 If you do, I will immediately sign it into law.”
 
…on charter schools and private school vouchers
 
“We cannot ask children and families stuck in chronically failing public
schools to wait any longer.
 It is not acceptable that a child who is neglected in a New Jersey school
must accept it because of their zip code.  We must give parents and children
a choice to attend better schools.”
 
“We must expand the charter school program beyond the six we approved this
year and the 73 operating in New Jersey. That is a top priority.”
 
“And to send help now to children in failing schools by passing the
bi-partisan opportunity scholarship act, without any further delay.”
 
… on school funding:
 
“We must end the myth that more money equals better achievement. It is a
failed legal theory— and we can no longer waste our children’s time or the
public’s money waiting for it to finally work.”
 
… on his education reform plan:
 
“The time for real reform is now. Here is what we must do:
 We must empower principals.
 We must reform poor-performing public schools or close them.
 We must cut out-of-classroom costs and focus our efforts on teachers and
children.
 I propose that we reward the best teachers, based on merit, at