Chris Christie, Defending Education - image New Jersey.com
Chris Christie, in an interview with Diane Sawyerof ABC News, covered a variety of topics, in a one-on-one interview (see video below). Christie, who is, perhaps, one of the most popular conservatives, spoke bluntly about the teachers union, calling them “political thugs”, while praising the good teachers of New Jersey. He hit the nail on the head when he referred to tenure and the inability to remove incompetent teachers due to tenure. The fact remains, that tenure in the nations lower education systems, allows incompetent teachers to remain on the job until they choose to retire. It is a “right” protected by teachers unions coast to coast, and Christie’s position is affirmed by a University of Washington Study revealing that teacher layoffs should be based on competency, not tenure.(Olympian)
However, Teachers Unions argue otherwise, A Rhode Island union leader, had defended an extremely troubled school system believes in tenure over competence, going so far as to support teachers who did not necessarily “show up for work”:
She defended the teachers against reports that many are absent on any given school day, saying the absenteeism rate being reported to the public is unfair because it includes teachers who are out on long-term leave.
The school made headlines last year when the district’s Board of Trustees approved the firing of the entire teaching staff under a federal model used for failing schools. Just 7 percent of 11th graders tested in October 2009 were proficient in math. The firings caught the attention of President Obama, who called the move an example of holding teachers accountable for poor student performance.
The teachers were rehired months later after agreeing to work a longer school day and make other changes. But the school year is off to a rocky start amid reports of student disciplinary problems and an absenteeism rate among teachers that administrators consider alarming.
Students staged a walkout last week, and administrators say they have refrained from giving grades to hundreds of students because teacher attendance has been so spotty that there is no real way to gauge student performance.
(Boston Globe)
The ends result one sees in the Globe article, students who, due to the support of incompetent teachers by a union that appears only to support keeping as many dues paying members on the rolls as possible, will lose the competitive edge that the public school system has given our students nationwide since its inception.
Chris Christie, who is a father of four, understands the public school system, and its obvious woes, like parents across the nation. The Governor also stated he would not be entering the 2012 GOP Presidential Race. Christie, a die hard Jersey man, will be keeping a watchful eye on what is perhaps the bluest state in the U.S. and should be applauded for his fight for the rights of the taxpayer supported schools hiring competent teachers over the union’s objections.
ABC New Video
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