Christie chastises teacher unions

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is known for his Herculean persona. Whether balancing a budget, going head-to-head with unions or delivering his keynote address at the 2012 Republican National Convention, Christie tackles his job with more grit than glamour. Christie shared his recipe for success Aug. 28 during his keynote speech, saying that “tonight, we are going to choose respect over love.”

For the past two years, Christie has demanded respect from the most contentious group in New Jersey: teacher unions. Through stubborn collaboration and bipartisan discussion, Christie has set a national example of sweeping tenure reform.

When Christie was elected in 2009, he resembled David stepping into the shadow of New Jersey’s Goliath, the teacher unions. Previous administrations had failed to enact education reform, but Christie was determined to overhaul the system.

In their annual 2009 report, The National Council on Teacher Quality graded New Jersey “D” on delivering well-prepared teachers and “D+” for firing ineffective teachers. The National Council on Teacher Quality explained that while New Jersey required annual teacher evaluations, the state awarded tenure automatically and did not prioritize student-learning in evaluations.

Yet the New Jersey Education Association actively maintained the status quo, donating more than $2 million to state-level political entities in 2009, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics. Simply put, New Jersey teacher unions valued tenure security over fostering respect for New Jersey’s educational system.

Christie did not balk at the imposing unions. The Christie Reform Agenda proposed major tenure and teacher qualification reform. After extensive debate within the bipartisan coalition and discussion with union leaders, the Christie reforms became law Aug. 6.

The legislation requires teachers to maintain an “effective” or “highly effective” rating for three consecutive years before being awarded tenure. Teachers sacrifice tenure protection after receiving ratings of “ineffective” for one year or “partially effective” for two consecutive years. The mandatory rating system rests on student test scores, classroom observations and teacher practices.

Christie’s reforms won him no love from unions, but school districts took heed.
Joseph Ricca, superintendent of the East Hanover District, was quoted in a New York Times article stating, “it will certainly allow administrators to make decisions based on student achievement and that — really, ultimately — has to be the driving force.”

Nevertheless, teacher unions are far from admitting defeat. While requirements are more rigorous under new legislation, the teacher unions successfully preserved their seniority measures in an Aug. 6 meeting, according to the Associated Press.

The “last in, first out” mentality can cripple reform, ensuring that ineffective teachers are virtually impossible to fire. Cami Anderson, Christie administration adviser for the Newark school district, revealed that Newark’s district spends more than $8 million per year on an excess teacher pool, maintaining teachers who are not qualified to teach but too difficult to fire.

Despite concessions, the Christie reform plan overhauled New Jersey’s tenure system and set a national example of education reform in a state where unions seemed too powerful to curtail. Christie made no secret of his recipe for success at the 2012 Republican National Convention. You can love him or hate him, but respect is nonnegotiable.