This week, the District of Columbia held a momentous Democratic mayoral primary. Incumbent Adrian Fenty lost the nomination to challenger D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray. As Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee was vocal in her support of Fenty over Gray, scuttlebutt is that Ms. Rhee, widely seen as the national face of education reform, will soon be looking for a new job.
Governor Christie has publicly announced that he will be using Newark as a testing ground for his views on education reform, and that he will be replacing Clifford T. Janey as Newark Schools Superintendent. Ms. Rhee succeeded Mr. Janey as Chancellor in D.C., and my bet is that she will be succeeding him as Newark Superintendent as well.
My biggest question is whether or not Ms. Rhee will get a bigger salary than the Governor. Fortunately for both Ms. Rhee and Governor Christie, the Newark Superintendent position is exempt from the new $175,000 salary cap.
Showing posts with label Clifford T. Janey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clifford T. Janey. Show all posts
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
It's Official: Change Is Coming To Newark
Governor Christie officially let Newark Superintendant of Schools Clifford Janey know that Janey's 3 year contract will not be renewed when it expires next year. In a surprising show of generosity, the Governor is not claiming that this is a termination for cause. Yet.
The Newark school system is directly under the control of the Governor, giving the Governor a unique chance to implement reform. His intention is to make Newark a test case for his education policies and priorities, as part of his on-going effort to build his national profile. And the writing is on the wall, as the Newark Teachers Union, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (and not the NJEA), has already gone on record as being open to merit pay and to changes in tenure and seniority.
The next step will be to name Janey's replacement. And here the politics will get interesting. Christie will want the support of Newark mayor Cory Booker behind the next superintendant. But there may be some bad blood there, as Booker supported Christie's call for a property tax constitutional amendment just before Christie abandoned that plan. There is a difference between being a steamroller and being a dealmaker, and it may be that the Governor is about to get schooled
If nothing else, it should be educational to watch two local politicians with national reputations come together for the sake of the kids.
The Newark school system is directly under the control of the Governor, giving the Governor a unique chance to implement reform. His intention is to make Newark a test case for his education policies and priorities, as part of his on-going effort to build his national profile. And the writing is on the wall, as the Newark Teachers Union, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (and not the NJEA), has already gone on record as being open to merit pay and to changes in tenure and seniority.
The next step will be to name Janey's replacement. And here the politics will get interesting. Christie will want the support of Newark mayor Cory Booker behind the next superintendant. But there may be some bad blood there, as Booker supported Christie's call for a property tax constitutional amendment just before Christie abandoned that plan. There is a difference between being a steamroller and being a dealmaker, and it may be that the Governor is about to get schooled
If nothing else, it should be educational to watch two local politicians with national reputations come together for the sake of the kids.
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