“Scary” Governor and Teacher at Kearny Town Hall

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Quinnipiac poll: New Jersey Supports Gay Marriage, Wants A Referendum

“The numbers are all over the lot.”

A Quinnipiac University Poll released this morning indicates that New Jersey voters support same sex marriage by a 57%-37% margin.  By 67%-28% respondents said they support Governor Christie’s proposal the issue be decided via referendum.

Voters are split, 48%-47%, over whether Christie did the right thing vetoing same sex marriage bill approved by the legislature earlier this year.

“The numbers are all over the lot,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, “Voter support for same-sex marriage goes up every time we ask, but about half of them think Christie was right to veto it.  By better than 2-1, they like the governor’s proposal for a referendum.”

The numbers seem to be all over the lot on education reform as well.

By 50%-43% voters approve of the way Christie is handling education. 60% think limiting teacher tenure is a good idea and 72% think merit pay for good teachers is a good idea.   Yet voters oppose school vouchers by 50%-44% and oppose expanding charter schools by 52%-41%.

New Jersey voters have a positive view of public school teachers, 57%-25% but an unfavorable view of the teachers union, NJEA, by a 46%-31%.  Only 42% of union households have a favorable view of the NJEA.

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Christie: NJEA Exec Director Vincent Giordano Should Resign

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Governor Christie Vs NJEA in 60 seconds

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NJEA Endorsements In LD 13: Pending Screening

By Art Gallagher

The once mighty New Jersey Education Association announced their endorsements for the upcoming legislative elections over the weekend.   All 120 seats in the State Legislature are up for grabs this November. 40 Senate seats and 80 Assembly seats.  The NJEA only endorsed 68 candidates.  66 Democrats and 2 Republicans.

In many districts the teachers’ union did not endorse for all three offices, 1 Senator and 2 Assembly Members. In 11 out of 40 districts they announced they were not endorsing any candidate.

But in the 13th legislative district their endorsements are “pending screening.”  

The new 13th is comprised of northeastern Monmouth County; the bayshore towns from Aberdeen east to Highlands, the Two River towns of Rumson, Fair Haven, Little Silver and Oceanport, and the coastal towns of Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach, and Marlboro.

No one would expect the NJEA to endorse the Republicans, Senator Joe Kyrillos, Assemblywoman Amy Handlin and Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon.  Why wouldn’t the Democrats screen?  If the the screening in “pending” as the NJEA says, why didn’t the 13th district Democrats screen before the rest of the endorsements were announced?

NJEA endorsements come with lots of money and organizational support.  Pending the pending screening and the pending endorsement or lack thereof, the LD 13 Democrats are raising money and support with a comedy night next week in Keasnburg.

I imagine the night going like this:

Funny Master of Ceremonies:  “Thank you all for coming out tonight.  We’re here to help Chris Cullen defeat Joe Kyrillos and to help Kevin Laven and Patrick Short defeat Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon.”

Crowd:

Crowd:

Crowd: 

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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.)

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Let’s Have An Election About Education Reform, Aid to Cities

By Art Gallagher

Senate President Steve Sweeney told The Star Ledger Editorial Board that he is groveling to get back into the good graces of the NJEA.  He didn’t put it exactly that way, but that is the effect of his pronouncement that he will not allow two key components of Governor Christie’s educations reforms…merit pay and ending seniority protections from layoffs.

Governor Christie gave himself plenty of room to negotiate when he increased the budget surplus by $270 million while cutting transitional aid to the cities by $139 million.   The Democrats want that money, and other monies that Christie cut back.  If the cities don’t get the money they could face bankruptcy.

Christie shouldn’t give an dime back to the cities unless he gets everything he wants in education reform.   If Sweeney and the Democrats don’t go along because they’re trying to get back into the good graces of the NJEA, let the voters decide.

Let’s have the coming election, in which the entire legislature is up for grabs, be a referendum on Christie’s agenda vs the NJEA agenda.

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NJEA’s tax lien troubles: State teachers union owes nearly $57,000 in back taxes

Union wants higher taxes, but doesn’t pay its own

Hat tip to Mark Kalinowski at dukeoveramerica.com

An investigation into the state’s largest teachers union finds that the Internal Revenue Service has an outstanding lien against the New Jersey Education Association for $56,730.31 in back taxes.

The lien involves unpaid taxes from as far back as 2005, though most of the teacher union’s unpaid taxes are from 2009 and 2010.

The federal tax lien was issued against the NJEA on December 7, 2010, and has been on file with the Passaic County Clerk’s office since December 21, 2010.

The investigation was conducted by Education Action Group with the assistance of Mark Kalinowski, founder of North New Jersey Tea Party Group which is based in Passaic County.

The NJEA recently settled two other IRS tax liens totaling $16,581. One of those tax liens involved $13,885.76 in unpaid taxes, going back to 2005 and 2006. That lien was released by the Passaic County Clerk’s office on January 6, 2011.

The other lien, totaling $2,696, was filed on October 13, 2010 and was released by the Union County Clerk’s office on May 3, 2011.

All told, the NJEA has been dragged its feet in paying $73,311 in federal taxes, even as union leaders never misses an opportunity to call for higher taxes on their fellow citizens. The NJEA recently aired a TV ad excoriating Gov. Chris Christie for giving “a tax break to millionaires” while cutting school funding.

The teachers union also opposed efforts to limit annual property tax increases to 2.9 percent.

But this investigation has revealed the NJEA’s hypocrisy on taxation.

“For years, the NJEA has championed higher taxes for most New Jersey residents,” said Kyle Olson, CEO of Education Action Group. “And for years, the NJEA hasn’t paid some of its obligations.

“The NJEA has a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ approach to paying taxes. That’s something for New Jersey taxpayers to keep in mind the next time they hear the NJEA call for a tax hike. The NJEA doesn’t miss an opportunity to lecture taxpayers about the need to pay more, but has the gall to carry tax liens.

“The hypocritical union has no place demanding taxpayers cough up more when it doesn’t even have its own financial house in order.”

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NJEA Spending Teachers Dues On Anti-Christie Ads

The New Jersey Education Association has launched an advertising campaign to encourage people to “Tell Christie he’s done enought to help millionaires.”

There is a full page ad on the back page of section A in the print edition of the Asbury Park Press (which is how using the header THE PRESS). Capitol Quickies reports that the ad also appeared in the Home News Tribune, Daily Record and Courier News, all Gannett owned papers.

The ad says “Governor Christie cut our schools, women’s health care and our public safety to give a tax break to millionaires” and touts their website, MillionairesForChristie.com.  The website encourages readers to email their legislators to “to let them know that you’re against Governor Christie helping millionaires.  Its time to protect our schools!”

Readers of the site can also sign a petition to Governor Christie and preview a TV ad that repeats the nonsense.

I wonder why the NJEA waited until after the school board elections to launch this advertising campaign.

Governor Christie has not given any tax breaks to millionaires.  The Democrats let the millionaires tax surcharge expire before Christie took office.  Christie vetoed the reinstatement of the tax last year, just as he promised he would in his campaign.

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Gifts For Trenton Dems, Rivera-Soto and The NJEA

By Art Gallagher

Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce simultaneously played the roles of Scrooge and Santa Claus this week.

With his inartful comments about people receiving unemployment benefits, and his equally ignoble apology wherein he tried to deflect the attention to the dual office holding of the Legislature’s Democratic leadership and accused Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver of playing the race card in her criticism of his remarks, DeCroce appeared as Scrooge to “these people” on the unemployment dole and Santa to the Trenton Democrats, Supreme Court Justice Rivera-Soto and the NJEA.

While the Legislature should be focused on reforming civil service and COAH before the 2 % property tax increase cap takes effect on January 1, the leadership was engaged in what Governor Christie called a “food fight” over DeCroce’s gaffes.

Rather than drawing attention to dual office holding and Oliver’s willingness to play the race card, DeCroce deflected media attention away from the controversy over Rivera-Soto’s unwillingness to participate in State Supreme Court decisions so long as a temporary justice is sitting on the court.  The NJEA was really let off the hook by DeCroce’s remarks as the main stream media apparently completely missed the explosive videosreleased by citizen journalist James O’Keefe that expose union leaders promising to protect teachers who engage in sexual behavior with students.

The gift that DeCroce gave the Democrats may well keep giving throughout 2011 when the entire legislature will be on the November ballot.  

If the Legislative Redistricting Commission draws an equitable map New Jersey should have the first competitive legislative elections in 12 years. For most of the last decade New Jersey cast more Republican votes than Democratic votes for legislators, yet Democrats have dominated the Senate and the Assembly due to gerrymandering of the districts.  A new district map is due this coming winter.

If the coming election appears to be competitive and if DeCroce is effectively running for Assembly Speaker, count on the New Jersey Democratic machine running against DeCroce in much the same way the GOP ran against Nancy Pelosi in the recent national election.

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