EAST ORANGE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Government Relations Update for June

Education Commissioner. Last week, Lamont Repollet was confirmed as the Commissioner of Education. His confirmation had previously been held up by Senate President Steve Sweeney, but he was finally released for approval. The Commissioner has frequently met with NJEA leadership to discuss our concerns, and his confirmation will hopefully pave the way for progress on some of our concerns related to standardized testing and evaluations.

Chapter 78 Legislation. For the past few months, the NJEA has been meeting with legislators to discuss legislation that would provide relief from Chapter 78 and places limits on our healthcare premium contributions. Senator Joe Cryan (D-20) has agreed to become the prime sponsor for this legislation. It will be introduced as S-2606. This is good news and a sign of forward progress, but we will need the support of many more legislators to move this across the finish line. Contact your own State Senator and ask them to become a cosponsor of Cryan’s bill.

School Funding. For months, the Senate President has hinted that he will make school funding a pivotal part of the state budget negotiations this year. Recently, he introduced a bill, S-2, that would radically affect the amount of state funding that East Orange and other districts like us receive. The bill phases out a category of aid, adjustment aid, over the next seven years. It does make provisions for local municipalities to increase their tax levy to compensate for this drop in aid, but it is not possible for East Orange to raise that amount of tax revenue.

According to the Education Law Center, East Orange stands to lose just over $1 million next year. These cuts would continue and deepen each year for the next seven years. If the bill passes as written, East Orange would face a cumulative total of $22 million in cuts in the 2024-25 school year. The Senate President has demanded that this bill be passed and he has said that he is prepared to shut down the government if it is not passed.

Lobby Days. The introduction of school funding “reform” and deep cuts to state aid has made this budget fight even more important than usual for us. 

NJEA has scheduled three lobby days - June 21, June 25, and June 28. We will be out of school by June 28, and we need to make our presence known in Trenton that day. 

E-mail Iris Star, istar@njea.org, to RSVP for the lobby day and she will send you additional details

Government Relations Update for May

NJEA PAC

The NJEA PAC Operating Committee met last month to consider endorsements in the upcoming Congressional elections. Since we do not operate a federal PAC in New Jersey, those recommendations will be sent to the NEA for final approval. Those endorsements will likely be public in the next few weeks.

PARCC

Acting Commissioner Repollet announced earlier this year that New Jersey would be transitioning away from PARCC, and the Department of Education is planning a series of meetings to gather feedback on student assessments and what should replace PARCC. There has also been talk recently that PARCC may remain for next year or the near future until a suitable replacement can be identified.

You can sign up to be a part of these meetings here - https://bit.ly/2riyAJs- and you can also send written feedback to the Department at this e-mail address - assessment@doe.nj.gov. 

NJEA’s position is that the Department should: a) identify an immediate replacement for PARCC in grades three through eight which includes a pen and paper option, b) use the SAT or the ACT as a high school assessment, as permitted by the Every Student Succeeds Act, c) end the use of the high school assessment as an exit exam, and d) work long term to transition to locally developed and locally scored assessments.

State Budget

There continue to be rumblings in Trenton about the state budget, with Senate President Steve Sweeney demanding that school aid be reallocated away from districts like East Orange that receive adjustment aid. Contact your legislators and urge them to approve Governor Murphy’s budget as written, and stay tuned for what may be a budget fight in June.

Chapter 78

NJEA is continuing to work on legislation that would limit our premium contributions under Chapter 78. They are seeking sponsors for a package of bills, and they will soon be looking to set up meetings with our members to speak with legislators. 

There are also talks of a rally being planned in Trenton on June 28 - the anniversary of the passage of Chapter 78. The details are still being worked out, but stay tuned for more info.

Update for March

Chapter 78 Relief.

NJEA has drafted legislation to help provide relief from Chapter 78 and restore balance to the bargaining table. They are currently approaching legislators to sponsor the legislation and the exact details won’t be available until it’s introduced. But the gist of the legislation will be to establish a cap on premium sharing, based on a percentage of salary.

Governor Murphy has indicated that he is supportive of the concept and will sign legislation that reaches his desk - but first that legislation has to reach his desk. Stay tuned for more details and in the meantime you can contact your state legislators and ask them to be a cosponsor on this legislation.

School Funding.

By the time you read this, Governor Murphy will have given his first budget address. He is expected to propose a millionaire’s tax, which will provide $600 million of additional revenue to help the state fulfill its funding obligation. Meanwhile, Senate President Sweeney has declared his opposition to this millionaire’s tax. But he has proposed an additional tax on corporations earning over a million dollars that would also bring in about $600 million of additional revenue.

The good news is that either way, the state will bring in much needed revenue. The bad news is that Sweeney is once again talking about “reallocating” school funding from “overfunded” districts - in other words, he wants to steal money from districts like East Orange to fund other districts. This approach led to a $3 million funding cut to East Orange last year, so we must remain vigilant as the budget debate takes shape over the next few months.

School Shootings and Gun Legislation

. After the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, there is a renewed national conversation about gun control legislation. The NEA and NJEA are strongly opposed to newfangled ideas like arming teachers, and they remain committed to common sense gun control laws at the state and national levels. You can go to the NEA’s Legislative Action Center (edadvocacy.nea.org) and email your representatives urging them to take action.

PARCC Coming to an End.

Acting Commissioner Repollet sent a memo to school districts last week indicating that the Department will be transitioning away from PARCC in the future. Specific details are not yet available, but it is likely that this will be the last year for the PARCC assessment in New Jersey.



Update for February

Governor’s Transition Reports.

The Governor’s transition committees have released their recommendations. The Education Committee, which was co-chaired by NJEA President Marie Blistan, recommended (among other things): fully funding the school funding formula, pausing new charter school approvals, fixing the teacher evaluation process, reducing the role of standardized tests in teacher evaluations, establishing a task force to choose a replacement for PARCC, and removing the PARCC test as a graduation requirement for high school students.

The Budget Committee recommended: generating new revenue through closing corporate tax loopholes and implementing a millionaire’s tax, ensuring that state contributions to the pension fund are enough to stabilize it, and reducing the use of high-fee managers for the pension fund.

Millionaire’s Tax.

A key component of Governor Murphy’s campaign was to increase revenue through the implementation of a millionaire’s tax. This would yield additional revenue to fund priorities like school funding and the pension payment. In the past, Senate President Sweeney has sponsored similar legislation and passed it in the Senate only to have it vetoed by Governor Christie.

But now that we have a Governor willing to sign this tax into law, Sweeney is suddenly hesitant about introducing a millionaire’s tax. This is one of several points of friction in the Murphy-Sweeney relationship, and it could foreshadow problems down the road. Governor Murphy will give his budget address and release his proposed budget in March. Stay tuned and be prepared to take action to ensure that our priorities are indeed funded.

Federal Updates.

Congress has still not passed any form of immigration reform, although it may start debate on various proposals soon. The NEA continues to support the Dream Act and similar proposals that would continue protections for DACA recipients. You can go to the NEA Legislative Action Center to contact your Congressperson: http://edadvocacy.nea.org/dreamact

This month also marks one year since the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. NEA wants to let her know how she’s doing, and you can join other members in sending her a report card here: http://greatpublicschools.nea.org/betsy-failed/



Update for January

Murphy to Be Inaugurated.

On January 16, Phil Murphy will be inaugurated as Governor and we can at last say our final farewell to Chris Christie. Thank you again to the dozens of you that helped with the Members4Murphy campaign in the fall. It was truly a team effort.

NJEA may be calling on you again in the coming months to help push along Murphy’s education policies and our own priorities. We are eagerly waiting to see which issues he tackles in his first few months in office, and we need members ready to contact their legislators and advocate on those priorities. There is a growing tension between Murphy and Sweeney, and members of the legislature will likely need some nudging in the right direction.

Urban Hope Act Defeated.

During the lame duck session, the Senate aimed to take action on S-3309 - a bill that would amend and extend the Urban Hope Act. It would expand the area covered by the Urban Hope Act and remove requirements for these schools to be opened in brand new buildings. The NJEA opposed this bill, and the Camden EA led a coalition of community members to take action against it.

In the midst of last week’s snow storm, the Senate held the bill from consideration at Friday’s committee meeting and let it die for this session of the legislature. However, we anticipate this being reintroduced in the next session, so we must remain vigilant to this looming threat.

Higher Ed Reauthorization Pending.

Congress is preparing to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, the law that governs federal aid and loans for college. In December, the House introduced its bill, the PROSPER Act. Among other things, it would eliminate the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The Senate is poised to introduce its version of the bill in the spring. You can expect to hear more about this in the coming months, and the NEA will likely be calling for action on this bill once the debate starts to heat up.



Update for December

It’s lame duck season. The legislature is back in session, and Christie is still in office until Governor-elect Murphy is inaugurated on January 16.

Congressional Tax Bill.

In November, the House of Representatives passed a tax reform bill that would restructure the federal tax code and have negative implications for New Jersey and for public education. Early in December, the Senate passed a similar bill. They are expected to form a conference committee and report out a compromise bill in the next week or two.

The final details depend on that conference committee, but elements of the two bills include: eliminating the deduction for state and local taxes, eliminating or restricting the deduction for property taxes, change the educator tax credit, eliminate deductions for student loan interest, tax graduate students, and allow tax advantaged 529 savings plans to pay for private school. In short, it’s bad.

Eleven of New Jersey’s twelve Congressmen voted against it, and Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Leonard Lance are working on a bipartisan alternative. But we need to remind them to stand up for New Jersey and our students. Go to http://edadvocacy.nea.org and take a minute to e-mail and call your Congressperson.

Assembly Takes Action on Evaluations.

The Assembly took up a bill on teacher evaluations last week. It voted to approve A-336, which would exempt cooperating teachers from evaluations under certain circumstances. The bill now moves to the Senate where it awaits action.

State Board of Education.

 Governor Christie is taking full advantage of his last weeks in office, and he appointed a slew of people to boards and commissions last week. Among these appointments were two to the State Board of Education. He appointed Elaine Bobrove to replace Edith Fulton, a former NJEA President who has served on the Board for some time. He also appointed Fatimah Burnam-Watkins, who runs the New Jersey branch of Teach for America. Christie is using the powers of his office to fill as many positions as he can with his people, and the State Senate under Sweeney’s leadership is enabling him to do so.

Murphy’s Transition.

Phil Murphy has assembled a large transition team to advise him on policy and help him select the members of his administration. NJEA President Marie Blistan and former Montclair EA President Gayl Shepard are serving on the Education committee. Congratulations, and we look forward to seeing the product of your work!



Government Relations Update for November

The election is finally over. Phil Murphy is the Governor-elect.

Governor’s Election.

It’s been a long road to this point. Remember that in early 2016, Steve Sweeney was the frontrunner to be the next governor and Phil Murphy was a virtual unknown. In October 2016, NJEA made the unprecedented move of endorsing a candidate in the primary. We helped ensure that Steve Sweeney would never see the governor’s mansion and that Phil Murphy would be the Democratic candidate.

On Tuesday, November 7, Phil Murphy was resoundingly elected as the next governor of New Jersey. In his acceptance speech, he spoke about the importance of public education, funding our schools, and ending the demonization of organized labor. After eight years in the darkness, we finally have a friend in Drumthwacket again.

NJEA Organizing.

Throughout the fall, NJEA made a concerted statewide effort to organize its members to get out the vote. Statewide, we made over 40,000 phone calls this election cycle. A little under 4,000 of those phone calls were made in our Essex County offices and over 1,000 of them were made by EOEA members at our EOEA office. Roughly 80 volunteers pitched in throughout Essex County, and twenty of them were EOEA members. Thank you all for your support, and you should all be proud for having been such a big part of this effort.

Other Elections.

In Essex County, all of our endorsed candidates were elected, including candidates for State Senate, State Assembly, and Freeholder. Elsewhere in the state, Vin Gopal beat Senator Jennifer Beck in LD 11 in a narrow race. You may remember Beck as a prime sponsor of Chapter 78. In South Jersey, Chris Brown defeated Colin Bell to become the state senator in LD2. Both Gopal and Brown were endorsed by NJEA.

Steve Sweeney.

Unfortunately, in the most hotly contested race of the state, Steve Sweeney was successful in his re-election bid against Fran Grenier. He will remain in the senate and he will likely be re-elected Senate President. But before you dismiss the whole effort as a failure, consider this. Steve Sweeney spent the last few months on the defensive, and he and his allies poured millions of dollars into his re-election campaign. That money could not be spent elsewhere to prop up his allies, and in the neighboring district his hand-selected Senator Colin Bell was defeated by our endorsed candidate Chris Brown. Sweeney may have won his re-election campaign, but he took the challenge seriously and his victory came at a real cost.



October, 2017

Government Relations Update for October

It’s an election year. If you need to update your voter registration, the deadline to do so is Tuesday, October 17.

Election Day.  It’s an election year, and on Tuesday, November 7 we will elect a new Governor. At this point, I shouldn’t have to tell you that the NJEA has endorsed Phil Murphy. After eight years of Chris Christie, we need a Governor who values educators and public education - and Phil Murphy is the only viable candidate on the ballot who does that.

Elsewhere in Essex County, the NJEA has endorsed three slates of candidates for State Senate and Assembly. LD 34: Nia Gill for Senate and Sheila Oliver and Tom Giblin for Assembly. LD 28: Ron Rice for Senate and Cleo Tucker and Ralph Caputo for Assembly. LD 27: Dick Codey for Senate and Mila Jasey and John McKeon for Assembly. We have not endorsed anyone in LD 29. A complete list of endorsed candidates for the state can be found at njea.org/njea-pac.

Phone Banking. The summer fellows worked the phones hard to contact members throughout July and August, and that work has continued into the fall. With a month to go before the election day, the activity is ticking up and we need your help to contact as many members as possible - and drive them out to vote. We will be hosting two phone banks at the EOEA Office. The first will be Wednesday, October 18 from 3-6pm. The second will be on Monday, November 6. You can head over after your faculty meeting, and we’ll wrap up around 6. Every bit helps, so please commit to coming out for at least an hour and helping us get out the vote! Please RSVP with Valerie at the EOEA Office so that we have a head count. There are other dates available at the Region21 and ECEA Offices. For more on those dates, contact me at brock@njea.org.

Democratic Senators “Letter.” You may have seen in the news that a group of Democratic State Senators sent a letter to our new president, Marie Blistan, criticizing her and the NJEA for supporting Fran Grenier for State Senate in LD3. This is nothing but another hit job from Steve Sweeney’s camp. It’s important to note that none of our endorsed Senators from Essex County signed this letter - neither Gill nor Rice nor Codey. The only Essex County Senator who did sign the letter is Teresa Ruiz, and she was not endorsed by the NJEA in this election.

September, 2017

Update for September

Welcome back. It’s an election year. The deadline to register to vote and make changes to your registration is Tuesday, October 17.

Summer Fellows and Fall Phone Banking.

This summer, the NJEA again hosted a Summer Fellowship to engage members in organizing. I worked in the ECEA Office in Cedar Grove, along with many of our fellow EOEA members, to contact NJEA members about Phil Murphy and the upcoming election. An extra special thanks goes out to two of our members - Melissa Baptiste and Teresa Cabrera - who came into the office to volunteer for a day. Collectively, we made close to 200,000 calls throughout the summer.

This phone banking work will continue in the fall at a number of offices throughout the state. Can you join me for an hour to help out? I will be working at the Region 21 Uniserv office in Livingston. Currently, phone banks are every Monday, and additional dates are being planned. A full list of the other offices and dates will be sent out soon, but you can always email me for more info.

Sheila Oliver as Lieutenant Governor.

Over the summer, Phil Murphy announced his running mate for the gubernatorial election - Sheila Oliver. This will hopefully prove to be good news for East Orange and Essex County, given her history here. I know that some members have concerns about her given her involvement with Chapter 78, but she has stated unequivocally that she understands our pain and that she will work with Phil Murphy to bring relief to our members with regards to health benefits.

Fran Grenier and the Race for LD3.

You may have seen press recently about NJEA’s endorsed candidate in the third legislative district - Fran Grenier. He’s running for State Senate against Steve Sweeney, and if he wins our nemesis will be evicted from the Senate. Politics makes strange bedfellows, and frankly that’s all that matters.

It’s also important to note that the attacks against him in the press are coming from one place - Steve Sweeney’s allies. Tom Moran, the Star Ledger editorialist who recently ran a piece attacking Grenier, is notorious for his hatred of the NJEA and his support for Sweeney. Don’t believe everything you read, or at the very least take it with a heavy dose of salt.

Important Election Dates

November 7, 2017
General Election Day
Polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.



June, 2017

Government Relations Update for June  

Murphy Wins.   It’s finally June, and the election results are in. Phil Murphy decisively won the Democratic primary for Governor, and he is set to face off against Kim Guadagno in the general election in November. In his speech on election night, he devoted a good deal of time to issues surrounding labor, public education, and public employee pensions. While some of us may have supported other candidates in the primary, we now have a clear choice before us.  

There is no question that Phil Murphy would be far better for us than Kim Guadagno, and that is why we must all work together in November to ensure that our endorsed candidate becomes the next Governor of New Jersey. Thanks to those who participated in our phone bank Monday evening. I hope to see more of you engaged with this in the fall.  

Lobby Days.  It’s budget season in Trenton, and over the next weeks the legislature and Governor will have to agree on a budget. We’re not sure at this point if there will be a big fight, but it’s possible that school funding can be an issue. In order to be proactive, NJEA is planning three tentative lobby days - June 22, June 26, and June 29. These are the last three session days of the month, and the legislature will likely vote on the final budget on one of those days. Join me in attending at least one lobby day. More details and registration are on the NJEA website.  

LD3 Endorsement.   The PAC Board of Trustees voted to endorse the Republican candidate in LD3 - Fran Grenier. He will face off against Steve Sweeney in the general election in November. While he may not be the perfect candidate, he is our best chance to knock Steve Sweeney out of the state senate - or to at least bloody him up before a fight in November over legislative leadership.  

NJEA Summer Training Fellowship.   Last year, NJEA launched its summer fellowship to engage members in organizing around the pension amendment. They have decided to renew the program this year with a focus on Murphy’s campaign for governor. This is a great opportunity to learn about organizing, help advance our cause, and earn a few bucks - because it is a paid training program. I participated last year, and I would highly recommend it, as it was a great experience. Find more details and apply before June 23 on the NJEA website.  

May, 2017

Government Relations Update for May

Members 4 Murphy.

On Monday, May 8, Phil Murphy came to East Orange and hosted a public town hall event. Hopefully you had a chance to see him in person. He remains NJEA's endorsed candidate in the primary, and on May 2 the PAC committee renewed that endorsement for the general election in November.

On Monday, June 5 we will be hosting a GOTV phone bank at the EOEA office. Our goal is to call every NJEA member who lives in East Orange, encouraging them to get out to vote and to vote for Phil Murphy. The phone bank will be from 4:30 to 6:30, but feel free to come late if you're stuck in a faculty meeting. We plan to order some pizza after we make phone calls, so please RSVP with Valerie at the office to give us an accurate head count. We need about 20-24 volunteers to meet our goal.

Steve Sweeney. Our ongoing feud with Steve Sweeney was turned up a notch this month after Garden State Forward released a website -https://therealstevesweeney.com/. The site reveals Sweeney's true record of hurting the middle class, breaking his promises, and caving to Christie. Read it and share it with your friends.

On May 5, I joined a group of NJEA members from around the state for a canvass in LD 3 to help build support for a campaign to unseat Steve Sweeney in his home district. There is another canvass planned for Saturday, May 12. If you can make it, please RSVP to Marybeth Beichert -mbeichert@njea.org - and she'll get you the details.

PARCC as a Grad Requirement.

A concurrent resolution, ACR-215, previously passed the Assembly requiring the State BOE to eliminate the use of PARCC as a graduation requirement. The Senate Education chair, Teresa Ruiz, and Senate President Sweeney have refused to pass the resolution for a vote. However, they did send a letter to the State BOE this month indicating that they do not support the use of PARCC as an exit exam and asking them to change the regulations. It remains to be seen whether the Board will take action on this request.

NJEA Endorsements.

On May 2, NJEA's PAC Operating Committee met to consider primary endorsements for the upcoming legislative elections. The committee endorsed Sen. Thompson, Asm. Dancer, and Asm. Clifton in LD 12; Asw DeCroce and John Cesaro in LD 26; and Asm. Chiaravalloti and NJEA member Kristen Zadroga Hart in LD 29.



April, 2017

Members for Murphy.

This month, candidates for the 2017 election turned in their petitions to be placed on the ballot. Phil Murphy submitted a record breaking 43,000 signatures on his petition. Almost 7,000 of those signatures came from NJEA members through our Members for Murphy campaign.

Thank you to those who signed my petition and helped make this campaign a success!

The primary election is coming up soon on Tuesday, June 6. As usual, we will be phone banking at the EOEA Office the night before - Monday, June 5. Join us for an hour or so after your staff meeting, and help us turn out the vote for our endorsed candidate. It’ll only take about two dozen volunteers for us to call every NJEA member who lives in East Orange. Call the EOEA office and let us know if you plan on participating.

Republican Gubernatorial Primary Screening.

On March 20, NJEA’s Gubernatorial Screening Committee screened Republican candidates for Governor. At the March 27 PAC Operating Committee meeting, the screening committee made a recommendation of no endorsement. Simply put, none of the candidates aligned with NJEA’s priorities for public education and for New Jersey. The PAC Operating Committee voted to accept this recommendation, and NJEA will have no endorsed candidate in the Republican side of the gubernatorial primary.

NJEA Says No to More Pension Reforms.

This month, Governor Christie once again asked for concessions from public employee unions in regards to the pension system and health benefits. Other unions, including CWA and the PBA, had been meeting with the Christie administration regarding using the lottery to help fund the pension system. They immediately rejected the idea of any changes to pensions or benefits. NJEA had not been part of the lottery discussions, but we too rejected Christie’s demands out of hand.

Resolution to End PARCC for Graduation.

Last month, the NJ Assembly passed ACR-215 with overwhelming bipartisan support. This resolution would require the NJ State Board of Education to end the use of PARCC as a graduation requirement. Unfortunately, the companion resolution in the Senate, SCR-132, has not been heard or voted on in the Senate Education committee. Let Chair, Sen. Teresa Ruiz (SenRuiz@njleg.org), know that this bill needs to be heard. The Senate resolution is sponsored by our very own Nia Gill, and the Assembly version was sponsored by Essex County’s Mila Jasey.

The Campaign Against Steve Sweeney.

NJEA continues to organize our members in LD 3 against the re-election of Steve Sweeney. In addition to phone banking, there are three canvasses planned for April 29, May 6, and May 13. I’ll be down there for a canvass on either May 6 or May 13, so I hope to see you there! If you can help out either canvassing or phone banking, e-mail change@njea.org and ask for the details.



March, 2017

Government Relations Update for March

Phone Banking Against Steve Sweeney. In case you forgot, Senate President Steve Sweeney has repeatedly screwed over the NJEA and its members. First, he was the mastermind behind Chapter 78. Then, he promised to post the pension amendment for a vote last summer and he broke that promise. Now, he’s trying to adjust the school funding formula to rob districts like ours of adjustment aid. Can you help NJEA send a message to Steve Sweeney - and maybe even boot him from his seat? You can be part of a virtual phone bank from the comfort of your own home. We’re calling members in his district, LD 3, to talk to them about Steve Sweeney and help organize for a potential challenger. If you could spend an hour and make 20 phone calls, that would be great! Just e-mail change@njea.org and say you want to be a part of the LD 3 phone bank.

Members for Murphy. The first phase of the Members 4 Murphy campaign is wrapping up, and NJEA is well on its way to collecting 10,000 signatures on behalf of Phil Murphy’s campaign for Governor. Thanks to the many East Orange members who signed the petition I’m carrying! To learn more about our endorsed candidate in the Democratic Primary, go to www.njea.org/murphy.

Republican Gubernatorial Primary Screening. Last summer, NJEA’s PAC Operating Committee voted to screen candidates in the upcoming gubernatorial primaries. The screening committee was instructed to interview both Democratic and Republican candidates. In October, the PAC Operating Committee voted to endorse Phil Murphy in the Democratic primary. On March 20, the screening committee has invited the Republican candidates to be interviewed. This will be followed by a meeting of the PAC Operating Committee on March 27, who will ultimately decide whether to endorse anyone in the Republican primary.

Worried About HR 610? You may have seen a viral post on Facebook about a bill introduced in Congress - HR 610. The bill would do horrific things to public education, dismantling the current system of federal funding and replacing it with vouchers. If there was a chance that it could pass, you would be right to be worried. But the good news is, this bill is not going to go anywhere. It was previously introduced in the last session of Congress, where it died in committee. After it was reintroduced in this session, it was again referred to committee and there are no plans to give it a hearing or a vote. To put things in perspective, there were 7,784 bills introduced in the House in the last session of Congress. Of those, 6,292 were referred to committee and subsequently died. Only 338 - 4.3% - ultimately made it to President Obama’s desk.

There are many dangerous plans on the horizon - for vouchers, educational savings accounts, and the like. But it would be imprudent and unwise to mobilize and take action around every bad bill that is introduced. It is a long time until the midterm elections in 2018, and longer still until the next Presidential election in 2020. Most of these bad bills will die of natural causes. Stay vigilant, but save your energy for the bad bills that have the potential to make it through the process.



February, 2017

Government Relations Update for February

East Orange Mayor's Election. 

Earlier this month, Mayor Lester Taylor held a press conference to announce that he would not be seeking a second term as mayor. In June, the primary election will determine who will be the Democratic nominee and likely the winner in November. The candidates are still shaking out, but one thing is clear. Come 2018 we will have a new Mayor in East Orange.

Members for Murphy.

In October, NJEA’s PAC Operating Committee endorsed Phil Murphy in the Democratic Primary for Governor. Members4Murphy is a member driven campaign to raise awareness about the candidate and collect signatures for his petition to be on the ballot in June. Learn more about Ambassador Murphy on NJEA’s website - njea.org/murphy. Want to help? Talk to your rep or call the EOEA office to set up a 10-minute meeting in your building to help support Phil's campaign.

School Funding.

Steve Sweeney has created a committee, the Senate Select Committee on School Funding Fairness, to hear testimony about whether and how to adjust school funding in New Jersey. Sweeney wants to help some underfunded districts - like Orange - by stealing money from other underfunded districts that receive “adjustment aid” - like East Orange. NJEA opposes this, and we have a very simple solution - fully fund the school funding formula and help all districts. A committee hearing to hear testimony was scheduled for February 9 in Newark, but it was postponed due to snow. Send an email to the committee aide, Allen Dupree (adupree@njleg.org), and let him know that the only appropriate solution to school funding is to fully fund the formula.

Secretary of Education.

Betsy DeVos was confirmed as Secretary of Education last week. This is a disappointment, but consider this: two Republican Senators voted against her confirmation, and this was the first time in history that the Vice President had to vote to break a tie on a cabinet appointment. There was unprecedented activism and opposition to her confirmation. Let us take heart in these small victories and continue to stand up and fight.



January, 2017

Secretary of Education. Confirmation hearings for Betsy DeVos, the nominee for Secretary of Education, are scheduled to begin in the Senate HELP Committee tomorrow (Wednesday, February 11). She is a longtime advocate of charter schools and vouchers, and she is no friend to public education. The NEA strongly opposes her nomination, and we need you to let our Senators know. Call Senator Booker’s office (202.224.3224) and demand that he opposes her confirmation.

Tired of Chapter 78? NJEA is laying the groundwork now to create a legislative solution to Chapter 78 and the problem of “negative net.” As our lobbyists meet with legislators, they need stories from members like you to demonstrate just how catastrophic Chapter 78 has been. If you’ve had enough of healthcare contributions and are willing to share how this has impacted you financially, contact me (brianrock.nj@gmail.com) or the EOEA office. I’ll follow up to gather some information from you and relay it to our Government Relations staff in Trenton.

Early Career Members Getting Politically Active. In October, NJEA’s Early Career Member Network hosted an event to discuss political involvement among early career members. A follow up event is planned for January 26 in Trenton. If you’d like to participate and connect with your politically aware peers from around the state, email Jim Boice (jboice@njea.org) to RSVP.

Regulatory Updates. In January, the NJ State Board of Ed continued its consideration of new regulations for charter schools. The proposed regulations would loosen certification requirements for teachers at some charters, creating an unlevel playing field and undermining the professionalism of public educators. NJEA officers, staff, and members attended the State Board meeting and testified in opposition to these regulations. Final action is expected to take a few more months, during which time we need to continue to state our opposition to these ridiculous changes.

Looming on the Horizon. It is Governor Christie’s last year in office, but he isn’t gone yet. He delivered his last State of the State address today, and he will deliver his final budget address next month. He may try and implement aspects of his funding proposal - with catastrophic results for districts like ours - through that budget. We must remain vigilant and be prepared to take swift action if this should happen. Stay tuned for further developments in February.



December, 2016

Secretary of Education.

In the past month, President-elect Trump has announced a number of his key cabinet picks, including Betsy DeVos, who he plans to appoint as the Secretary of Education. She is a billionaire businesswoman from Michigan and a longtime advocate of charter schools and vouchers. The NEA strongly opposes her as a nominee. Her nomination will go before the U.S. Senate for confirmation shortly after the inauguration, and thus far Senator Booker has firmly stated that he will take no public position on the nomination. The good news is that he isn’t supporting her publicly, despite his own ties to charter schools and vouchers. The bad news is that he won’t come out against her nomination publicly, either. Let’s call Senator Booker’s office (202.224.3224) and make sure he knows our position loud and clear.

Early Career Members Getting Politically Active.

In October, NJEA’s Early Career Member Network hosted an event to discuss political involvement among early career members. A follow up event is planned for January 26 in Trenton. If you’d like to participate and connect with your politically aware peers from around the state, email Jim Boice (jboice@njea.org) to RSVP.

Legislative Updates.

In the past month, two education related bills were passed - one on pensions and one on student loans. The pension bill (S-2810) requires the state to make its pension payments at the end of each quarter instead of in one lump sum at the end of the fiscal year. It passed both houses of the legislature unanimously, and Gov. Christie is expected to sign it. While this is not as beneficial as the failed constitutional amendment, it is a win. NJEA has pushed for this change in the past and but it has been vetoed. Another bill was signed into law that reforms student loans issued by HESAA. Previously, a co-signer was still liable to pay off a loan if the student borrower died before it was paid off. The new law guarantees that these loans will be forgiven.

Regulatory Updates.

Earlier in the year, Gov. Christie proposed new, controversial regulations for charter schools. The NJEA strongly opposes these, and a number of members testified at the November board meeting in opposition to these proposed regulations. They are currently on hold and were left off of the December agenda for the State Board, but they will likely return for consideration in the new year. Governor Christie also announced his appointments and reappointments to the State Board of Education this week. Notably absent from the list was Board President Mark Biedron. This is likely an effort by Christie to reshape the Board in his last year in office and shore up support for his charter school regulations.



November, 2016

It’s Election Day! By the time you read this, the Presidential election will likely be over. I’m not going to make any predictions, but know that we did our part. The ECEA took a bus out to PA to canvass in October, and NJEA took a busload of volunteers out to PA on November 5. We held a local phone bank here in East Orange on Monday night. Thank you to everyone who volunteered!

Gubernatorial Updates. Last month, I reported that NJEA had endorsed Ambassador Phil Murphy in the Democratic Gubernatorial Primary. This month, I’m excited to tell you that he will be at the NJEA Convention, and if you attend you’ll have an opportunity to meet him. Friday morning, the regularly scheduled Q&A with the Commissioner of Education has been replaced by a Q&A with Phil Murphy. That is at 9:30am. Later on Friday, Phil Murphy will also be visiting the ECEA Hospitality Suite. The lunch is from 11am to 1pm, and the Ambassador plans on being there from 11:15 to 11:45. Make sure you take advantage of this opportunity to meet our endorsed candidate and vet him for yourself.

Early Career Members Getting Politically Active. On October 26, NJEA’s Early Career Member Network hosted an event to discuss political involvement amongst early career members. Two NJEA members who are also elected officials in their hometowns joined us, including a teacher from Irvington who serves on his local Board of Education. A follow up event is being planned for late January or early February. If you’re interested in attending, e-mail Jim Boice at NJEA (jboice@njea.org).

Legislative Updates. A-4122, a bill that would prohibit the use of standardized tests in teacher evaluations, passed the Assembly and has been received in the Senate, where it has been referred to the Senate Education Committee and awaits further action. S-979, a bill that would eliminate our ability to bargain healthcare waivers, was to be voted on in the Senate last month but it was pulled from consideration after vocal opposition from our members. The State Board of Education continued to consider new regulations on charter schools. NJEA continues to oppose these regulations, and several NJEA members and leaders were present at the State Board of Education meeting in November to register that opposition.



October, 2016

Gubernatorial Primary Endorsement.

On Saturday, October 8, the NJEA PAC Operating Committee took the extraordinary step of endorsing Phil Murphy in the Democratic Primary for Governor. That election is June 6, 2017. Murphy, the former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, was one of four candidates to meet with NJEA’s screening committee Saturday morning. In his interview, he was exceedingly well prepared to discuss our issues and he spoke about things like ending the PARCC, raising new revenues to fund the pension, fully funding state aid to schools, finding a former classroom educator to be the next Commissioner of Education, and placing a moratorium on charter schools. Along with working in President Obama’s administration, Murphy is a longtime member of the NAACP’s Board of Directors.   

Over the summer, the PAC Operating Committee initiated the screening process in response to Senate President Steve Sweeney’s failure to post the pension amendment in the State Senate. At the time, the Governor’s race was a dead heat between three candidates, and we were waiting to make our decision and endorsement at the most opportune time. That critical moment came after Steve Fulop, another leading contender, dropped out of the race in late September. This set off a series of events that ended with Senate President Sweeney dropping out of the race altogether and Murphy emerging as the strongest candidate. Over the next nine months, there will be many opportunities to see Murphy in action - at NJEA legislative events or at his own town halls. Take the opportunity to meet the candidate and judge him for yourself when you can.

Presidential Election GOTV.

It’s that time of year again… time to get out the vote for election day! We will host our usual phone bank at the EOEA Offices to call NJEA members living in East Orange and urge them to vote. That will be Monday, November 7, immediately after your staff meeting. The Essex County EA is also organizing a bus trip to Pennsylvania to canvass for Hillary, and they will be hosting several days of phone banking. If you can volunteer for one of these opportunities, please e-mail me at brianrock.nj@gmail.com.

Bill A-4122.

This bill would eliminate the use of standardized test scores in teacher evaluations - effectively eliminating SGPs. It was introduced by one of our Essex County legislators, Mila Jasey, and it has passed the State Assembly. While it is unlikely that the bill would be signed by the Governor if it passed the State Senate, this is a still a huge step forward. This sets things up so that as soon as a new Governor is sworn in - January 2018 - we can re-introduce the bill and have it swiftly passed through the legislature and signed. Our endorsed candidate, Phil Murphy, has already promised to eliminate the use of standardized tests from teacher evaluations and would be likely to sign the bill if he were elected.



September, 2016

Pensions. Welcome back! When we left in June we were talking about a constitutional amendment to mandate pension funding. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen this year. Senate President Steve Sweeney broke his promise to post the bill.

We put an enormous amount of pressure on him, but long story short he was adamant in double crossing us. This is why NJEA has taken the unprecedented step of beginning the process for screening gubernatorial primary candidates - so that we can ensure Steve Sweeney will not be elected Governor. More on that soon.

Throughout the summer, a group of 250 pension fellows worked diligently to contact members, put pressure on legislators, and organize rallies. Along with myself, five of our members participated: Tiffin Carter, Keila Catching, Carolyn O’Connell, Bibi Shahabudeen, and Nareema Shahabudeen. If you see them… be sure to say thanks for their hard work!

2016 Endorsements. The NJEA PAC Committee met in August and concurred with the NEA’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton. Previously, the Committee voted to endorse Congressman Donald Payne, Jr. A full list of endorsements is available on NJEA's website.

School Funding. Governor Christie and Senate President Steve Sweeney have proposed dueling plans for modifying the school funding formula. NJEA is adamantly opposed to the Governor's plan, which would provide an equal dollar amount per student to each district. This would abrogate the principle of Abbott and decimate urban districts. Sweeney's plan is less damaging, but NJEA is also opposed to it. Although it passed the Senate, it is currently being held up in the Assembly by Speaker Prieto.

Evaluation Bill. Assembly Education Chair Caride and Assemblywoman Jasey have introduced a bill (A-4122) that would eliminate the use of student test scores in teacher evaluations. Needless to say, NJEA is strongly in support of this bill. We need your help to drum up support for the bill. Be on the lookout for more info as this progresses.



June, 2016

Pension Amendment

The constitutional amendment on pensions continues to make progress in the legislature. On June 6, the Assembly judiciary committee voted on party lines (5-2) to approve ACR-109. Your NJEA leadership was there to testify in favor of the bill. Next, the resolution must have a public hearing and, after a 20 day waiting period, a full vote in the Assembly followed by a full vote in the Senate. This is expected to happen by the end of the June, and at that point, the question will officially be on the ballot in November.

The Pension Organizing Plan

It is imperative that we turn out enough votes to pass the question in November, and NJEA is rolling out a multiphased plan to ensure that happens. First, all members are being asked to sign a pledge card, committing to vote “Yes” in the fall. Next, NJEA will be employing members as Organizing Fellows to conduct a full-fledged field campaign over the summer, contacting and mobilizing members. This will be followed by a second Organizing Fellowship in the fall, conducted by retirees. Finally, in the weeks leading up to Election Day, NJEA and other unions will run a paid media campaign in support of the question.

What Can You Do?

See your building rep to fill out a pledge card, or go directly to VoteNJPension.org and sign the pledge. Then, talk to your colleagues, friends, and family to make sure they're prepared to vote “Yes” as well. If we work hard from now to November, this fight is winnable… but victory won't happen all by itself.

entary students. The bill was amended on the floor, so a final vote was not taken. But it is expected to be brought up for a vote soon and then be sent to the Senate for action. Finally, the Assembly attempted to override the Governor’s veto of a gun control bill (S-2360). The Senate previously voted to override the veto. The assembly came up a few votes short, but Speaker Prieto promised to try again before the current session ends.

Action on NCLB / ESEA.

After months of inaction, a conference committee was appointed to approve a new version of ESEA and replace NCLB. The compromise bill - known as the “Every Student Succeeds Act “-(ESSA) - was quickly ushered through the conference committee and brought to a vote on the House floor. It passed with bipartisan support and is expected to pass early this week in the Senate as well. More details on the law next month, but the key takeaway is this: it devolves choices about accountability on to the states, opening up the playbook for us to lobby more effectively in Trenton.



Government Relations Update for June

Murphy Wins.

It’s finally June, and the election results are in. Phil Murphy decisively won the Democratic primary for Governor, and he is set to face off against Kim Guadagno in the general election in November. In his speech on election night, he devoted a good deal of time to issues surrounding labor, public education, and public employee pensions. While some of us may have supported other candidates in the primary, we now have a clear choice before us.

There is no question that Phil Murphy would be far better for us than Kim Guadagno, and that is why we must all work together in November to ensure that our endorsed candidate becomes the next Governor of New Jersey. Thanks to those who participated in our phone bank Monday evening. I hope to see more of you engaged with this in the fall.

Lobby Days.

It’s budget season in Trenton, and over the next weeks the legislature and Governor will have to agree on a budget. We’re not sure at this point if there will be a big fight, but it’s possible that school funding can be an issue. In order to be proactive, NJEA is planning three tentative lobby days - June 22, June 26, and June 29. These are the last three session days of the month, and the legislature will likely vote on the final budget on one of those days. Join me in attending at least one lobby day. More details and registration are on the NJEA website.

LD3 Endorsement.

The PAC Board of Trustees voted to endorse the Republican candidate in LD3 - Fran Grenier. He will face off against Steve Sweeney in the general election in November. While he may not be the perfect candidate, he is our best chance to knock Steve Sweeney out of the state senate - or to at least bloody him up before a fight in November over legislative leadership.

NJEA Summer Training Fellowship.

Government Relations Update for October

Government Relations Update for October

MR. BRIAN ROCK, Chairperson

Keeps abreast of legislation that affects education. Promotes letter writing campaigns when necessary. Works with ECEA and NJEA to Get Out the Vote

CYBER-LOBBYING!