Gov. Christie’s Education Task Force offers proposals on changing public education
Gov. Chris Christie on Monday called the initial report of his Education Transformation Task Force a strong first step in his effort to change and improve the way New Jersey’s public school function.
The governor said the report also provides recommendations on how to reduce the regulatory burden in an attempt to make it easier for schools and educators to focus their efforts on classroom innovations.
The recommendations, to be followed by a final report submitted by the Task Force on Dec. 31, are described as a critical element of what Christie calls his four “Building Blocks for Success in New Jersey’s Schools,” including changes to address educator performance and accountability, academics and standards in the education system.
“This report confirms that we need to provide a new accountability system that works for our educators and students, and that sensibly moves us toward a system that values educational results over bureaucratic red tape,” Christie said. (Hester, New Jersey Newsroom)
Easing the bureaucratic burden on NJ public schools
More than a century ago, a county superintendent annually visited a public school in New Jersey to check its buildings (including outhouses), the “efficiency of the teachers,” and the “character, record and standing of the pupils.”
Jump cut 100 years and public schools — according to critics — are burdened by more than 1,000 pages of regulations and 1,200 of statute. And Gov. Chris Christie is the most recent governor to decide things have gone too far.
Yesterday, Christie launched the latest phase of his school reform agenda with a plan — or a loose timeline — for revising the rulebook.
“These requirements often come out of either a good idea that wasn’t implemented correctly or a bad idea that shouldn’t have been approved in the first place,” Christie said.
Christie will be doing a series of these events. Another is planned for today in Cherry Hill. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
NJ seeks No Child Let Behind waiver; Chris Christie ready to refocus on education reform
For parents and students, this is back-to-school time. For Gov. Christie, it’s back to education reform.
Christie and his top education chief said Monday the state would seek a waiver from federal No Child Left Behind requirements and move forward on other proposed changes to state tests and curriculum standards.
Christie and acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf made the announcement during an open meeting with three superintendents and the chair of Christie’s task force on education.
Cerf said that a new, tougher high school exam could be in place for the 2012-13 school year. Cerf had previously discussed making New Jersey students pass an exam or exams, much like the New York Regents Exam, in order to graduate.
Although students currently are expected to pass the state’s High School Proficiency Assessment, the test is considered closer to an eighth-grade level test and there are alternatives to obtaining a diploma other than passing the test. (Method, Gannett)
>Labor Dept. Data: Only 1.75 Full-Time Private Sector Workers Per Social Security Recipient By Terence P. Jeffrey September 12, 2011
(CNSNews.com) – There were only 1.75 full-time private-sector workers in the United States last year for each person receiving benefits from Social Security, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Social Security board of trustees.
That means that for each husband and wife who worked full-time in the private sector last year there was a Social Security recipient somewhere in the country taking benefits from the federal government.
The Village has started power washing sidewalks in the Central Business District. Representatives of Terra Clean Power Washing were spotted working today on East Ridgewood Avenue near South Walnut Street by local photographer Boyd Loving.
>Dr. Richard Roukema, congresswoman’s spouse SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2011 BY JAY LEVIN STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
Dr. Richard Roukema, a psychiatrist who relished being a congresswoman’s husband, has died at 83.
He and former Rep. Marge Roukema, R-Ridgewood, recently marked their 60th wedding anniversary.
“What happens when a psychiatrist, secure in his job and position in suburban New Jersey, suddenly is catapulted into the role of spouse of the Honorable Member of the House of Representatives?” the good-humored Dr. Roukema wrote in his 1998 book, “Spouse of the House.”
“Does his life change? Are you kidding?”
Without her husband’s encouragement, Marge Roukema — who had been a teacher, a Ridgewood Board of Education member and community activist — may not have sought a House seat.
State schedules solar summit to discuss stabilizing prices
With many in the solar industry worried about its prospects in New Jersey, the state will convene a stakeholders’ meeting this week to focus on what, if anything, should be done to stabilize a sector some say is in danger of collapsing.
The session, to be convened by the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) in Trenton on Thursday, comes at a time when the price of solar renewable energy certificates (SREC), the primary means of financing the installation of new systems, has fallen precipitously.
The cause, most agree, is an oversupply of the certificates resulting from a flood of investment by developers large and small seeking to take advantage of generous ratepayer subsidies and lucrative federal tax incentives to cash in on the fast-growing solar program. With an oversupply of the certificates, there has been steep decline in the prices they earn for producing electricity from the solar systems. (Johnson, NJ Spotlight)
>(UPDATE 1): Ridgewood Knights of Columbus Take to the Streets Again for Second Annual Stickball Tournament.
Ridgewood-NJ-September, 2011: The Ridgewood Knights of Columbus Council #1736 is once again proud to be hosting their annual stickball tournament, to be held on Saturday September 24th beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Passaic Street in Ridgewood. The entrance fee is $100 for a team of four. There will be trophies for first, second, and third place. Refreshments, hotdogs, and hamburgers will be served. There is also a 50/50 raffle. Benefit proceeds will go to the Social Service Association of Ridgewood.
“Last year’s inaugural event was a huge success, and we expect this year to be just as lively”, said event coordinator Joseph Hernandez Jr. “Last year the Knights went head-to-head with Ridgewood’s Finest and Bravest. We encourage other local organizations sign up and join in the activities this year.”
Registration is open to all. “We anticipate a good turn-out, and even if you do not wish to play, you can still come out and enjoy the event”, said Rich Paliotta, co-organizer of the event.
Village Council Special Public Meetings Concerning Proposed Valley Expansion
The Ridgewood Village Council will be holding Special Public Meetings concerning the proposed Valley Hospital expansion in the Ridgewood High School Campus Center, 627 East Ridgewood Avenue, on the following dates: September 13, September 19, October 13, October 24, November 3, November 22, and November 29, 2011.
The meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. The doors will open at 6:45 p.m. and seating will be on a first come, first served basis. The meetings will also be televised on Cablevision Channel 77 and through computer video streaming (limited viewers due to bandwith limitations). Agendas for each meeting will be posted on the Village’s website prior to the meeting.
Education commissioner refines rules for charter schools
With the administration expected to announce a new class of charters in the coming weeks, acting education commissioner Chris Cerf has detailed steps that are intended to improve the oversight of new and existing schools.
But questions remain about the capacity of the state to meet its promises. And the announcement stops short of some of the measures that Democratic legislators have asked for to amp up accountability even more.
Cerf released a letter sent to all charter school heads on Friday. It starts with praise for the opportunities and education that the experimental schools have provided students.
But it continues in a more critical tone:
“Not all charter schools are serving students at the levels they deserve,” Cerf wrote, mentioning that the state closed two charters last year. “At the department, we take the exchange of autonomy for accountability very seriously.” (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
Democrats are expressing growing alarm about President Obama’s re-election prospects and, in interviews, are openly acknowledging anxiety about the White House’s ability to strengthen the president’s standing over the next 14 months.
Elected officials and party leaders at all levels said their worries have intensified as the economy has displayed new signs of weakness. They said the likelihood of a highly competitive 2012 race is increasing as the Republican field, once dismissed by many Democrats as too inexperienced and conservative to pose a serious threat, has started narrowing to two leading candidates, Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, who have executive experience and messages built around job creation.
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving Village of Ridgewood September 11 Memorial Service The 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks were remembered during the Village’s ceremony at Memorial Park at Van Neste Square.Several former Village Council members were present, as were friends and family of the twelve victims from Ridgewood.
>The Cato Institute: Abolish the Department of Homeland Security
Ben Franklin said, “Those who give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither.”
A decade after 9/11, it’s time we got our civil liberties back. We should start by abolishing the TSA and DHS, and end the increasingly Orwellian assaults on individual liberty and the Constitution by Secretary Janet Napolitano and the Obama Administration. In memory of this anniversary of 9/11, let’s reaffirm our patriotism by taking back our rights.
Abolish the Department of Homeland Security by David Rittgers David Rittgers is a legal policy analyst with the Cato Institute.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an umbrella organization that would oversee 22 preexisting federal agencies. The idea was to improve the coordination of the federal government’s counterterrorism effort, but the result has been an ever-expanding bureaucracy.
DHS has too many subdivisions in too many disparate fields to operate effectively. Agencies with responsibilities for counterfeiting investigations, border security, disaster preparedness, federal law enforcement training, biological warfare defense, and computer incident response find themselves under the same cabinet official. This arrangement has not enhanced the government’s competence. Americans are not safer because the head of DHS is simultaneously responsible for airport security and governmental efforts to counter potential flu epidemics.
National defense is a key governmental responsibility, but focusing too many resources on trying to defend every potential terrorist target is a recipe for wasteful spending. Our limited resources are better spent on investigating and arresting aspiring terrorists. DHS responsibilities for aviation security, domestic surveillance, and port security have made it too easy for politicians to disguise pork barrel spending in red, white, and blue. Politicians want to bring money home to their districts, and as a result, DHS appropriations too often differ from what ought to be DHS priorities.
