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Lobbying for dollars
Originally appeared in the Jersey Journal on 09/18/01
When does four letters mean five letters? When the first four are NJEA -- the abbreviation for the New Jersey Education Association, the teachers lobby. Its perpetual goal: MONEY, specifically, more money for the public schools.
It ranks as one of the most effective lobbying groups in the state. The current state budget provides $7.4 billion in school aid this fiscal year -- or 32.9 percent of the $22.9 billion appropriations act.
NJEA fiscal goals were independently assisted by three state Supreme Court opinions affecting the 30 Abbott districts. Those districts, with many low-income students, had sued over the constitutionality of the state's school aid program. Now the districts have approached parity aid levels with the most affluent districts.
However, Mayor Jim McGreevey of Woodbridge, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, wants to spend another $40 million to hire 800 reading coaches in elementary schools. He claims more than 30 percent of fourth-grade pupils in 808 of the state's 1,321 elementary schools cannot read. Each coach would teach small groups of students, he said. But his numbers are based on 2000 school year test results. More recent results show fourth-graders have dramatically improved their reading skills.
The NJEA backs McGreevey's plan, including a companion proposal to hasten removal of underachieving teachers by hiring more administrative law judges to process tenure cases more quickly.
There have been no cost estimates on the administrative plan. The NJEA naturally would embrace McGreevey's proposal. It recently endorsed him for governor, and he's proposing $40 million more in the state budget.
While well-intentioned, McGreevey's reading plan could be premature. Record numbers of 3-and 4-year-old children are entering classes this month, and 36,824 are expected to receive free pre-school education, compared with 23,983 last school year. And full-time classes for kindergarten have Supreme Court blessing. Which obviously means more children will be spending more time in class.
The school mission should focus on two goals: reading and writing. I still recall sitting with several classmates in second grade reading "Peter Rabbit." The state Education Department pledged to recruit and retain quality teachers. Acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco offered a $3 million incentive program for urban districts.
McGreevey's rival, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bret Schundler, former Jersey City mayor, campaigns on two approaches to educating the state's children.
Schundler advocates expanded charter schools. The state Education Department sanctioned 51 this month, with 13,400 anticipated enrollment. Schundler argues for tuition vouchers for parents to send their children to private or parochial schools. These would be privately funded, though tax deductible. Yet McGreevey claims it would rob public schools of state funds.
Since his dramatic 26,000-vote loss to Republican Christie Whitman in 1997, McGreevey has had ample time to develop an education platform. McGreevey hasn't done his homework - on Aug. 22, the Education Department announced that of all fourth-graders who took the test, 79.1 percent achieved proficiency or advanced proficiency levels on language arts literacy; 87.1 percent proficiency or advanced proficiency in science, compared with 86 percent last year; 65.9 percent demonstrated proficiency or advanced proficiency in math, compared with 65.8 percent last year.
Meanwhile, Hudson students are deep in homework assignments, with enrollment increases projected in every district except Hoboken, Kearny and Weehawken.
Classroom challenges continue for the nearly 8,000 students in Bayonne; 374 in East Newark; 1,235 in Guttenberg; 1,834 in Harrison; 1,593 in Hudson County Schools of Technology classes; 33,150 in Jersey City; 5,000 in Kearny; 7,082 in North Bergen; 10,668 in Union City and6,117 in West New York.
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