By Scott McLemee
When students took to the streets in Rome last November to demonstrate against proposed budget cuts to the university system, they introduced something new to the vocabulary of protest. To defend themselves from police truncheons they carried improvised shields made of polystyrene, painted, on the front, with the names of classic works of literature and philosophy: Moby Dick, The Republic, Don Quixote, A Thousand Plateaus….…
Read More“I’m hoping for a smooth opening, but there are some still unresolved issues,” said DelGrosso.…
Read MoreBy Star-Ledger Editorial Board
The cost of higher education in New Jersey continues to outpace the rate of inflation at most schools, another symptom of the state’s stinginess toward its colleges and universities.
Increases in tuition and fees at two dozen public and private schools will range from 1.6 percent at Rutgers University to more than 7 percent Ramapo College and New Jersey City University, according to a survey by The Star-Ledger’s Kelly Heyboer.…
Did Monmouth Push Poll?
by: DSWright
A Monmouth University Poll came out today claiming New Jersey residents support Education Reform, which is not surprising because everyone does. I don’t know anyone who thinks the current system is perfect – no one, anywhere. Though one should not confuse reforming education with “Education Reform” (aka privatization/corporate takeover).
The poll was done in cooperation with NJ Press Media (Gannett) who have sent some odd signals out about their view of “Education Reform.”…
Read MoreWhen educators are silent, the governor’s barbs and soundbites are all the more convincing
By Gordon MacInnes, August 26 in Opinion
Welcome to New Jersey and to the 18-month street fight waged by Gov. Chris Christie against public education. By this time, the governor’s attacks against teachers and their unions, superintendents’ associations and local school board are almost pro forma.…
Read MoreBy Kelly Heyboer/ The Star-Ledger
Last spring, college students across the state held rallies and protests on their campuses calling for a tuition freeze.
It didn’t work.
Undergraduate tuition and fees will go up between 1 percent and 7.4 percent at New Jersey’s four-year colleges for the 2011-12 school year, according to a Star-Ledger survey of two dozen public and private schools.…
Read MoreAs millions of students prepare to go back to school, budget cuts are resulting in teacher layoffs and larger classes across the country. This comes as the drive toward more standardized testing increases despite a string of cheating scandals in New York, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and other cities. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan also recently unveiled a controversial plan to use waivers to rewrite parts of the nation’s signature federal education law, No Child Left Behind.…
Read MoreMcCormick’s new salary angered many members of Rutgers’ faculty and staff unions. The university has frozen the salaries and canceled raises for union members since last year, citing the school’s budget problems. At Rutgers Board of Governors meeting in recent months, union members waved blown-up copies of mock dollar bills and signs protesting Furmanski and McCormick’s salaries.…
Read MoreEven though CWA workers are no longer picketing Verizon, that doesn’t mean the fight is over. Unionized Verizon workers are leafleting (but not picketing) Verizon Wireless stores to let prospective customers know they are supporting a corporation that does not support middle class workers. Please download this flier and join leafletting outside Verizon Wireless Stores.…
Read MoreEducation worker federation of 30,000 endorses candidates who stood up for collective bargaining
EDISON…Endorsing a fewer number of candidates in November’s legislative elections translates into a focus on contributing to key wins and recognizing legislators who stood up for collective bargaining in the June pension and health insurance debate, according to American Federation of Teachers New Jersey (AFTNJ) political education co-chair Jon Erickson.…
Read MoreAFTNJ2011 Endorsements List and Press Release
DISTRICT 1
Senate
No Endorsement
Assembly
Nelson Albano*+ (D)
DISTRICT 2
Senate
No Endorsement
Assembly
Alisa Cooper+ (D)
DISTRICT 3
Senate
No Endorsement
Assembly
No Endorsement
DISTRICT 4
Senate
No Endorsement
Assembly
Gabriela Mosquera (D)
DISTRICT 5
Senate
No Endorsement
Assembly
No Endorsement…
Michael Symons | Statehouse Bureau
TRENTON — Nearly 30 percent of New Jersey school districts hired new superintendents in the last year, a larger-than-usual turnover that may have resulted from new salary caps and changes to pensions and health benefits.
The New Jersey School Boards Association reports that 170 of the 589 districts it tracks changed their top executives in 2010-11.…
Read MoreEveryone wants a seat at the table when a campus picks a new leader, and it’s rare that groups say they have enough representation. With so many campus constituencies — including faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees, and community members — finding enough seats is tough, and more often than not, faculty members say they’re not given their fair share.…
Read MoreCatherine A. Lugg, a professor of education and treasurer of the faculty union, believes, as do others, that the university’s trajectory toward big-time sports began with a few outspoken members of the Board of Governors who wanted Rutgers to become a football powerhouse — and the power and tunnel vision of those members made voices of opposition irrelevant, they say.…
Read MoreTuesday, August 23, 2011, 1:32 PM
By David Giambusso/The Star-Ledger
NEWARK — A battle over transparency surrounding Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s $100 million donation to Newark schools will now be decided in court.
In a motion filed just after noon today in Superior Court of Newark, the ACLU of New Jersey announced it is suing Newark, accusing the city of violating numerous OPRA regulations and demanding the release of all correspondence between Zuckerberg, Booker, Gov.…
Read More