Sen. Kean: “Mr. Giordano’s remarks in opposition to OSA show a startling contempt for children and parents of limited means who are forced into failing schools by virtue of their zip code.His remarks, however, actually strengthen the argument in favor of the bill: that the educational establishment is not able or interested in providing an immediate remedy for students in these districts.”Though here’s a try at an immediate remedy: officials with Trenton Public Schools have announced that they’re establishing separate schools for elementary and middle school-aged students, instead of K-8 schools. This is not connected to a recent incident where a volunteer fended off a knife attack from an intruder peeping into the girls’ bathroom at Parker Elementary Schools.
Sen. Lesniak: “Life is only unfair when we don’t have the courage to change the things we can. And it will continue to be unfair as long as those with the ability to do something to make it fair stand idly by and become resigned to the unfairness. Children from poor families forced to go to chronically failing schools deserve an opportunity to get a quality education. They deserve better from all of us.”
Sen. Steve Sweeney is pushing a bill that would expand shared services by school districts and municipalities. Spotlight here; bill here.
The Courier Post Editorial Board urges the Legislature to pass Sen. Teresa Ruiz's tenure reform bill: "It is painfully obvious that current tenure law has gotten in the way of educating students, and enshrined mediocrity, or worse, as the status quo. When both Republicans and Democrats get behind this reform, when the Legislature and the governor are getting closer and closer to deciding precisely what needs to be done and when half the country has already made sweeping changes, it is clear that the time has come to modernize tenure law in New Jersey."
The Asbury Park Press's John Schoonejongen wonders whether courtesy will prevail at Ed. Comm. Cerf's confirmation hearing on Thursday.
NJ Spotlight notes that more than 300 school districts could move elections to November. (Actually, the final total could be higher: current tally from NJSBA is 277, and the deadline's not til Friday.) Also see Spotlight's piece on the NJ DOE's plan to expand the teacher evaluation pilot to another 30 districts in September, instead of the original plan to expand state-wide in 2012-13.