By John Mooney

Legislators grill Cami Anderson in her first appearance since her appointment three years ago

cami anderson david hespe
Credit: NJTV. Newark schools Superintendent Cami Anderson and state Education Commissioner David Hespe appeared Monday before a legislative committee. It became clear early on that Newark schools Superintendent Cami Anderson would face a grilling in her first visit to the state Legislature after three years on the job.

State Sen. Ron Rice Sr. (D-Essex) even hedged on thanking her for appearing yesterday before the Joint Committee on Public Schools, which he co-chairs, saying Anderson’s attendance came only after repeated requests.

But four hours later, it was hard to gauge who, if anyone, won a standoff that saw legislators asking often-heated questions of the controversial Anderson, who was appointed by Gov. Chris Christie three years ago.

Anderson, who has become a lightning rod for protests in the state’s largest school district, hardly addressed many of those questions, and a few times dodged them outright.

But she at least survived the grilling, smiling at reporters – as well as a handful of protesters – afterward as she quickly exited.

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