New Jersey governor revises education money bid
TRENTON, N.J.—New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday made last-minute changes to the state's application for a $400 million federal "Race to the Top" education grant, more closely tying teacher merit pay and evaluations to student achievement.
"We greeted the news with a mixture of deep disappointment, utter frustration, and total outrage," NJEA president Barbara Keshishian said.
The New Jersey Education Association offered its support last week after meeting with Education Commissioner Bret Schundler, who agreed to make some changes to how merit pay would work.
For instance, part of merit-based bonuses would be given to schools so their staffs could vote on how to distribute it. The union prefers that approach to bonuses for educators whose students do well for several reasons, including that it would