By

Ray Pinney

Since I follow education legislation, you would think that I would get used to the strange machinations of the legislative process. But even though I often see the “sausage,” being made (referring to Bismarck’s quote about how people shouldn’t watch how laws or sausages are made), sometimes I remain thoroughly baffled by the process.

Many times I see a bill proposed that seems illogical. I almost can’t believe someone thought of it. Did anyone talk to the parties that will be most affected by the bill to determine whether it would cause unintended consequences?

Sometimes bills seem to take on a life of their own and move through the process despite apparent problems. A bill is introduced during a busy time, the intentions behind it seem good, a few key legislative leaders support it, and suddenly the bill sails through the legislature without any serious discussion.

Sometimes I think that I would have a much stronger faith in democracy if I did not have the opportunity to observe it so closely.

The perfect example is S-295/A-444, a bill that  requires all board members to undergo criminal background checks at their own expense. (more…)

 By

Ray Pinney

Christine came up to me after an NJSBA meeting and asked me “if NJSBA could take the lead in countering the attacks on teachers.“  She is not opposing Gov. Christie’s proposed policy changes in the area of tenure and teacher compensation, but just the tenor of the public discourse, which she felt was unproductive and made her feel uncomfortable.  I touched on concerns about the tenor of this discourse in last week’s blog, Changing the Tenor of Public Discourse on Education.

I think that Christine was speaking for many board members and others in education.  It is odd and counterproductive that in the rush to reform education, we tend to bash the very people we say are the solution — the classroom teachers. 

As I said last week, I would like to change the tenor of the public discourse on education.  I believe Christine and many other board members would, too.

There are two things that need to change in order for us to have a more civil discourse.  First, we all need to take a realistic look at the issues in public education.  Maybe more important, however, is that we have to deal with each other in a more civil manner.

I am not going out on a limb when I say that many players – including Gov. Christie and the NJEA – view each other as a political enemy. (more…)

By

Ray Pinney

The other night I attended a Somerset County School Boards Association Meeting and I have to say the speaker was inspiring.  I am sure that I was not the only one in the audience inspired by her poise, intelligence, and compassion for others.  She was the founder of a non-profit group called SHARE which helps educate girls in Africa, specifically in Tanzania.  While her work is truly amazing, what is even more inspiring is that the speaker, Shannon McNamara, is a high school senior who started SHARE when she was only 15!

While Shannon’s accomplishments are very unique, accomplished public school students are not. Despite much of the rhetoric that our schools are failing, stories like Shannon’s largely occur out of the limelight. 

Shannon’s accomplishments got me to thinking of what is missing in this public discourse on education:  a look at the entire picture of what is going on in education, not just selected snippets that usually justifies one side’s perspective. 

I would love to change the tenor of the public discourse because I believe that if we did, we might actually come up with better solutions that have more buy-in from the stakeholders involved. Instead, we seem to be addressing the issue of education reform in a much more divisive manner than collaborative one. (more…)

By

Ray Pinney

Think of the school as the heart of the community

Lesley Chilcott, Producer, Waiting for Superman

I was feeling a bit uneasy as I walked into the theater at NJPAC to see a special viewing of the documentary film Waiting for Superman.  As a strong advocate for public education, I was leery that the other attendees of the film would be choice and charter school advocates who would be very adverse to the local school districts.  I was also worried that local boards of education would be portrayed in the movie as a major problem.

This showing of the film included a program that incorporated a panel discussion, remarks by Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Gov. Chris Christie, and Lesley Chilcott, the producer of the film. Waiting for Superman is not just a normal documentary on public education, but a film that wants to ignite a grassroots effort to reform public education.   Both Mayor Booker and Gov. Christie are taking up the call to arms that the movie advocates and they are using the film as a springboard for education reform in Newark and in New Jersey.  Since this film is being used as a springboard for education reform, I recommend that all public school advocates watch it – if for no other reason than to understand the emotion behind the reform.

I decided to ignore any preconceived notions I might have about the film before I saw it. (more…)