State Senator Joe Kyrillos has set up an exploratory committee for a possible U.S. Senate run in 2012 against Robert Menendez or 2014 against Frank Lautenberg, an unnamed source told Politickernj.
An exploratory committee, or “testing the waters fund” may raise and spend over the $5,000 threshold that requires candidate reporting on polling, travel and other activities designed to gauge the level of support for a candidate for federal office, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Kyrillos has yet to respond to a message from MMM to comment on the Politickernj story.
A source with knowledge of Kyrillos’ plans confirmed that Monmouth County’s senior legislator will issue a statement announcing the exploratory committee today.
Trenton— State Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth) has introduced legislation, S-2881, aimed at providing all children in New Jersey with an effective teacher in their classrooms. “The School Children First Act” will reform teachers’ tenure and pay structure, and bringing these important protections in line with the state constitution’s mandate of a “thorough and efficient” system of public education. The legislation is modeled after Governor Christie’s teacher tenure and salary reform proposals.
“We cannot, as a state, tolerate a public education system in which some children have access to good teachers while others do not,” said Kyrillos. “We must make the system work better for kids by rewarding excellent teachers and removing those who are not effective in the classroom. In order to meet the state constitution’s requirement of a thorough and efficient system of public schools for all children, we must put their needs above all else in every facet of our educational system. That includes how tenure and compensation are earned.”
The legislation replaces traditional teacher tenure with protections that must be earned and maintained through annual evaluations that rely heavily on classroom observation, making it easier to identify and remove ineffective teachers from the classroom.
The pay structure of the teaching field will be reformed as well. Student achievement will play a role in determining salary awards under the bill, a change from the current system which compensates teachers based on seniority.
“The new system puts students first by protecting and rewarding teachers who are effective, aiding those who need to improve but still show promise and passion, and moving those who are persistently ineffective out of the classroom,” Kyrillos stated. “All the while, this legislation protects educators from arbitrary or politically motivated termination.”
Under the bill, tenure is earned after three annual evaluations of “effective” or “highly effective”. A teacher loses and must re-earn tenure after one rating of “ineffective” or two evaluations of “partially effective”.
“Teachers who are performing well or who clearly will perform well with additional mentoring and guidance have nothing to fear from this type of reform,” said Kyrillos. “However, the new system improves on current practice by stopping the excuses for educators who are clearly incapable in the classroom or have burned out.”
Finally, the bill as drafted prioritizes students’ needs by ensuring that a school’s most effective educators are retained if staffing reductions are made. “I’ll take a great third year teacher over an ineffective veteran of the system any day of the week,” said the Senator. “When staffing decisions are made, our children should have access to the best teachers whether they’ve spent two or twenty years in the classroom.”
Kyrillos said he hopes that the debate over his bill will be based on its merits rather than fear. “Change is always difficult in government, but I hope that those who disagree with this bill do so based on fact rather than fear mongering,” he said. “A system that makes it too difficult and costly to remove teachers who are failing, that unnecessarily creates winners and losers among our state’s school children because of red tape and bureaucracy, is neither thorough nor efficient.”
Hosts Discussion on ‘Parent Trigger’ Legislation Embraced in Chicago, California
Trenton— Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth/Middlesex) today joined with the Heartland Institute to host a discussion with legislators and business, civic, and education leaders regarding proposed legislation that would give parents in failing school districts the authority to affect immediate change. The Parent Empowerment and Choice Act (S-2569), dubbed ‘the parent trigger’, would force certain organizational and administrative reforms in a school through community petition.
“Today in New Jersey, parents and students in failing school districts have two choices: move or to pay for a private education,” said Senator Kyrillos. “That is unacceptable to me, and it should be unacceptable to every taxpayer that foots the bill for a system that is too often unresponsive and slow to change. If enacted into law, my bill would give parents in these districts- some of the poorest and most dangerous in New Jersey- the ability to build a better tomorrow for their children by forcing immediate improvements to a school that is failing to educate its students.”
Kyrillos’s bill allows parents in a failing school, as determined by student test scores, to force the following changes through majority petition:
Reorganization as a charter school
Replacement of administrators and/or staff
Establishment of a tuition voucher system for any public or private school in New Jersey
The requested change would be required to take effect 180 days following certification of the petition.
Kyrillos noted that troubled districts in Illinois and California are embracing similar proposals. “Parents in one of California’s worst school districts, Compton, are already using the parent trigger to affect change, and Mayor-elect Rahm Emmanuel has voiced initial support for this reform in Chicago,” he said. “This is not an ideological issue. This is about rejecting the notion that children in failing schools should be denied a quality education because of administrative hurdles, legal obstacles, and an educational establishment that is resistant to change.”
Seantor Joe Kyrillos issued the following statement this morning:
“Nearly ten years after the unspeakable attack on America on 9/11 justice is done.”
“Monmouth County paid a disproportionate price that day, losing 147 of its residents who never came back home.”
“I speak for all New Jerseyans and Americans in acknowledging the relief and sense of justice felt by the victim’s families as well as the pride we all feel in the heroic efforts of America’s armed forces and national security professionals stationed here and abroad.”
“Today all the world sees the determination and perseverance of America and its citizens to protect and secure our great nation.”
Now that the Monmouth Democrats don’t have a candidate officially running for Senate in the 13th district, maybe they should take a page from the Burlington County Democrats and get a celebrity to run. In case you missed it, former Olympian and former music video star Carl Lewis is running for Senate as a Democrat in the 8th legislative district.
As much as I would like to see Tea Party Democrat Mark Falzon muck up the works by waging a write in campaign for the 13th Democratic Senate nod, the district has numerous celebrity residents that would make terrible candidates but be great for blog traffic.
Bruce Springsteen has recently become a policy wonk. The anti-poverty activist has estates in Rumson and Colts Neck. If he’s registered to vote in Rumson he can run in the 13th. If Bruce is registered to vote in Colts Neck, we’ll know who the third vote is for Democratic Township Committee candidate, our friend Rick Ambrosia, is in November.
Film maker Kevin Smith hails from Highlands.
Drummer and real estate developer Max Weinberg was a trustee of the Monmouth Conservation Foundation before subdividing his Middletown estate.
Is there no liberal hypocrite willing to challenge Kyrillos?
Senator Calls for Immediate Vote or Justification from Senate Leadership
“In total, these municipalities (Newark, Atlantic City, Camden, Jersey City, Trenton, South Brunswick, East Orange, Hackensack) paid more than $39 million last year to more than 700 employees who cashed in their unused sick and vacation time.”
–The Star-Ledger, 4/11/2011
Trenton—In light of new information showing eight municipalities in New Jersey paid out $39 million in terminal leave payments to departing public employees, Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth/Middlesex) called for Senate Democrats to explain their continued defense of the practice:
“I have to wonder if the cost to the taxpayers of this outrageous public employee perk is sinking in with my Democrat colleagues.”
“Even more frustrating is that some of the municipalities with the largest terminal leave debts are also recipients of huge amounts of state aid, paid for by the rest of the state’s beleaguered taxpayers.”
“Contrary to the claims of Trenton special interests defending the practice, sick leave is not a form of deferred compensation.These payments are wrong in any amount and must be ended, not just capped, by the Legislature.This is a vote the Senate needs to hold this month.”
“If the Majority party continues its crusade to preserve these payments, the taxpayers deserve an explanation as to why they should pay for a public employee perk that the majority of New Jersey workers do not receive themselves.”
Referring to “Snooki” as a “degenerate reality television star who offers neither useful advice nor any appreciable talents,” Senator Joe Kyrillos announced that he was submitting legislation that would all require New Jersey’s public universities to make student activities fees optional.
His legislation comes in response to mandatory student activities fees at Rutgers University being used to fund a $32, 000 speaking fee for Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi.
“Students ought not be forced to fund entertainment or events that they find objectionable,” said Kyrillos. “There were a great deal of Rutgers students who I am certain were uninterested or flat out outraged by Ms. Polizzi’s appearance on campus.”
Kyrillos’ announcement quickly made national news when Tommy DeSeno wrote about it on Ricochet.
Polizzi, 23, didn’t tell MoreMonmouthMusings that she was using the $32,000 she picked up for her Rutgers performance as a down payment on a house in Keansburg so that she could seek the Democratic nomination to challenge Kyrillos this fall.
Middletown—Senator Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth/Middlesex) today noted the Monmouth County Freeholders swift disciplinary action against workers involved in last week’s ‘sick-out’ of SCAT bus drivers:
“The Freeholders did the right thing by immediately suspending three individuals who called out sick on Friday, February 25th- only to be caught on camera at a protest in Trenton,” Kyrillos said. “The actions of these employees and others, who organized a disruption of bus service endangered the well-being of SCAT’s developmentally disabled and elderly clients. It is my hope that county officials will summarily be able to ascertain if others were absent without proper excuse and take appropriate action.”
Kyrillos also said the incident exemplifies the urgent need for civil service reform. “The fact that the civil service system may drag out the termination process for these employees is ludicrous,” Kyrillos said. “While some personnel matters are complex, getting caught on film being involved in an organized ‘sick-out’ and lying to your employer should be grounds for immediate termination. The fact that the system protects these employees from being fired on the spot, and may cost taxpayers thousands in legal proceedings, is reason enough to reform civil service laws.”
Will Attempt to Force Senate Consideration of Governor’s Conditional Veto
Trenton— In an effort to offer relief to property tax payers and prevent public safety layoffs, Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth/Middlesex) will attempt to force consideration of the Governor’s conditional veto of S-2220, which eliminates payouts of unused sick time for public employees, at tomorrow’s Senate session.
“Rather than trying to override the Governor on bills the Majority cannot find the funds to support, the Senate should be passing unfinished toolkit legislation that will help avert public safety layoffs and property tax increases,” Kyrillos said. “Sick leave cash outs present an enormous strain on local government budgets that must be stopped. The Governor is absolutely right in requiring that these cash outs be phased out for all employees, current and future, in his veto message. Sick leave should be used when you are sick, not as a cash gift upon retirement.”
Kyrillos will motion that the conditional veto be taken up as the Senate’s “Order of the Day”. It is up to the Senate President to decide whether or not the motion is in order.
“I hope that the Senate President will hear, as I have, the call of police and firemen who are concerned about the impact of layoffs on our communities,” said Kyrillos. “We need to make tax dollars go farther by giving towns and counties the tools they need to reign in unnecessary costs and fund priorities that matter. Unused sick leave is a perfect example of a cost to local government that no longer needs to exist.”
