New Jersey’s Governor and the Public Education Debate
By BRENT STAPLES
Published: October 24, 2010
New Jersey’s governor, Chris Christie, has been bludgeoning the state’s teachers and their unions since he took office earlier this year. The name-calling has raised his profile nationally, and made him a darling of the right. It has also made rational conversation on school reform nearly impossible.
Related
Times Topic: Chris Christie
Last month, Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, seemed to address this problem when he announced that he was pouring $100 million into a school reform plan in troubled Newark, whose schools are controlled by the state. He said from the start that the plan would be a joint project of politicians, civic groups and the very teachers’ unions that Mr. Christie has been demonizing since Day 1.
The deal as it was originally announced called for Mr. Christie to cede some control of