When do the teachers arrive to picket my house?

By Dan Jacobson, also published in the July 14 edition of the triCityNews

So I’m running as an Independent for the state Assembly in the 11^th District. Got a letter the other day from NJEA President Barbara Keshishian inviting me to submit my views on public education. Apparently, the teachers union has begun to consider candidate endorsements. Here’s what I sent:

 

Yes! I do want the endorsement of the NJEA. Of course!

 

First, let’s dispense with some unpleasantries.

 

I want school vouchers tried in poor urban school districts. If successful, I’d want vouchers expanded statewide to develop an alternative education system competing with the public sector. I also don’t believe government employee unions should use mandatory dues for political purposes.

 

And I support the recently-passed pension and health benefits reform bill as a step in the right direction, although its supporters overstate its impact. (Of course, the bill – surprise, surprise – leaves unstated who will pay the taxes that it clearly requires. Wow, what courage. No wonder the pension system has been underfunded for 15 years.)

 

Since 1999, I’ve published the triCityNews weekly newspaper – with the largest readership in the 11^th District – and I’ve followed one rule: We call it like we see it. We respect our readers enough not to pander to them, even if it pisses them off. And that’s exactly what I’m doing with voters. Same with this letter, which I’m publishing verbatim in my paper.

 

Contrast that with the NJEA’s recent experience. The Democrats told you everything you wanted to hear to get your support, and you demand almost 100 percent adherence to your agenda. Of course, they don’t believe in any of it. All they believe in is getting elected. You saw the results when Democratic leaders stabbed you in the back on the pension bill. Now all sides look like fools.

 

The Republicans? Governor Christie claims he has no problem with the teachers – only with your union. He’s full of shit. The Republican Party is purposely demonizing public school teachers to gain political advantage. They’re communicating to voters that widespread teacher incompetence is a major problem in the education system.

 

It’s not. Although widespread incompetence among lawmakers in Trenton is certainly a major problem. Issues like teacher testing, tenure reform and seniority reform are all bullshit. They have nothing to do with containing costs or radically transforming the way education is delivered in our state. They have everything to do with getting Republicans elected by trashing teachers. Watch for a push on those issues before the November election.

 

For me, it’s all about school vouchers giving parents a choice. School vouchers set up a system where the public and private sectors compete against each other. That means peak performance by everyone. Let the teachers, administrators and union in each public school figure out for themselves how to retain and attract students. They’re talented enough to do so. If not, parents will send their kids elsewhere, and the school will close. It’s what we face in the private sector every day. What am I missing?

 

The best teacher testing? It’s whether a parent will send their kids to a particular school. That’s the best test. Not a state bureaucracy pushing teachers to make students do better on standardized tests. Especially if test results are linked to teachers getting merit pay. That all seems a bit weird to me.  

 

If school vouchers work, the competition will make every school provide the best education it possibly can. Those that don’t – either public or private – will cease operations. And those teachers displaced will seek jobs at new schools or those expanding. In fact, you’ll likely see entrepreneurial public school teachers go out and open their own private schools. The world is changing, and our system of education must change with it.

 

The last thing you want is the dead hand of government in the middle of all this competition, regulating the classroom and teachers in the public schools. That defeats the whole purpose. Let the teachers and the NJEA suggest the changes in the law they need to compete in a voucher system. Not impose it on them.

 

Call me crazy, but I think the NJEA should come out for vouchers in some poor urban school districts to see if it works. Why not take a broadly defensible position for a change? Why not say you want to compete? And if successful, vouchers should be responsibly implemented statewide, like over a decade, so any problems can be flagged. That’s not going to kill teachers in the system today. And who says the public schools can’t compete? This all should have been done 20 years ago.

 

When parents have a choice – and they then voluntarily choose the public schools – the NJEA will win the public’s support the old-fashioned way: by earning it. It’s what we do in the private sector, and there’s nothing more rewarding.

 

So why endorse me?

 

Because I’ll tell you the truth. Unlike the bullshit you’ve been getting from both parties, this candidate believes in the professionalism of our state’s teachers. My positions indicate that. My differences with the NJEA involve financial constraints, and how to build a transformative system of education to better respond to society’s needs.

 

But without at least trying vouchers, even I’d eventually have to go for the highly flawed alternatives: teacher testing, merit pay, and tenure and seniority “reform” (the last two which risk politicization of the hiring and firing process). At least I think I would. What a dumb scenario that would all be: The dead hand of government flopping around trying to improve the education system to deal with the many challenges – both economic and social – that we face.

 

So there you go, NJEA! A candidate who truly respects your membership and tells you the truth.

 

When do the teachers arrive to start picketing my house?

 

 

Dan Jacobson

Independent candidate for the State Assembly

11^th District

 

(The 11^th District where I’m running includes: Asbury Park, Long Branch, Red Bank, Ocean Township, Neptune, Neptune City, Interlaken, Deal, Allenhurst, Loch Arbour, West Long Branch, Eatontown, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Tinton Falls, Colts Neck, Freehold Township and Freehold Borough.)

 

Posted: July 14th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Dan Jacobson, NJEA | Tags: Dan Jacobson, NJEA | 4 Comments »

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