A first for NJEA: Acting N.J. education commissioner declines to speak at convention
Published: Wednesday, November 03, 2010, 6:07 PM Updated: Wednesday, November 03, 2010, 6:24 PM
Acting Education Commissioner Rochelle Hendricks, left, announced today she will not be attending the teacher union's convention, headed by NJEA President Barbara Keshishian, right.The state’s largest teachers union has been rebuffed once again by the Christie administration after acting Education Commissioner Rochelle Hendricks said this week she would break tradition and not address the group at its annual two-day convention in Atlantic City, which begins today.
Hendricks wrote to New Jersey Education Association President Barbara Keshishian to "respectfully decline" the union’s offer to address tens of thousands of teachers, citing the NJEA’s uninterest in working with the governor on "reforms that put results for our children first."
"When the NJEA is willing to work with the Christie administration as a true partner in an effort to reward good teachers instead of protecting bad teachers, when the NJEA is willing to modernize the tenure system and improve