By Matt Friedman/The Star-Ledger
MONTCLAIR — State Sen. Barbara Buono received the endorsement of the American Federation of Teachers for governor at her alma mater, Montclair State University, tonight and pledged that she would be “the education governor.”
Buono, the inevitable Democratic nominee for governor, stood in a theater lobby at Montclair State while touting her experience in the public school system, and how she needed financial aid when her father died shortly before she began her sophomore year there.
“I grew up in a New Jersey that wanted to see a kid like me succeed, and I believe that New Jersey is splipping away,” Buono said before ripping into Gov. Chris Christie, the popular Republican whom she hopes to unseat, for his 2010 budget’s cuts to education and his frequent criticism of unions.
“This governor just doesn’t get it,” Buono said. “Just last week he was out there and made headlines by calling out the teacher’s union. And he said unions are the problem. You know what governor? Unions aren’t the problem. Your misplaced priorities are the problem.”
Donna Chiera, president of the AFT, said Christie wants to change the public school system “top down.”
“Barbara Buono does not want to do things to us, she wants to work with us,” Chiera said.
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