Gov. Chris Christie and education; Raise the gas tax; Bury the power lines
By Letters to the Editor/The Star-Ledger
March 31, 2010, 5:07AM
Teachers and students protest Gov. Chris Christie's school aid cuts in Mendham.Free-market education
Gov. Chris Christie is absolutely right: Teachers should not get a free ride on the taxpayers’ backs. We should earn our money the same way electricians, chiropractors and lawyers do.
Charter schools and vouchers aren’t the answer because, as the governor points out, schools just breed mediocrity and corruption. A free-market education system will promote competition and our clients will hold us accountable.
The only difficulty I foresee is putting a dollar value on my education services. A contractor is charging me $900 in labor to spend one day replacing some windows in my home, so I do have some idea of what I can charge parents when I teach a child a skill like reading comprehension.
As a former lawyer, perhaps Christie could advise me how to create my fee scale and calculate my billable hours.
Tonio Favetta, West Orange
No longer needed
I was shocked to learn from your editorial of the arrogant attitude the NJEA has toward considering a one-year wage freeze ("Freeze teacher pay," March 25). What kind of a lesson does it teach our kids when a piece of paper trumps shared sacrifice, social justice, decency and