JOYCE POWELL

Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie’s campaign today accused the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) of distorting his campaign platforms.  

State Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R-Middletown), who is Christie’s campaign chairman, today told reporters that the group has engaged in “real bare knuckles distorted political advertising -- the kind that I have not seen, even in this state, from a group like this.”  

The Christie campaign featured three current or former teachers on a conference call today to back up the claims.  

At issue are several NJEA flyers that claim Christie would force new members to enroll in 401(k) plans instead of pensions, pay towards their health plans, and end collective bargaining, among other things.  

Although the Christie camp has proposed those reforms for state employees, Kyrillos said they are not meant to apply to public school teachers.  

When asked whether Christie thinks that teacher pay is too high or that they should chip in to pay part of their health benefits, Kyrillos gave a non-committal answer.

“I think that Chris wants to work with boards of education to make sure we have a sustainable model of recruiting the best teachers, of paying them as much as we can, but also making sure we have a budget to work with in future years,” he said.

NJEA spokesman Steve Wollmer countered that the pension and health care changes Christie proposed will touch on 51,000 non-teacher members of the union whose pensions are with the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), including cafeteria workers and bus drivers.  

The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) today endorsed Governor Jon Corzine for reelection.  

"When it comes to this state's commitment to public education, Jon Corzine gets it,” said NJEA president Joyce Powell.

The endorsement, made unanimously by the NJEA PAC’s 125-member Operating Committee, does not come as a surprise, as Republican gubernatorial nominee Chris Christie declined to seek it.  The group hasn’t endorsed a Republican gubernatorial candidate since 1985, when Tom Kean, Sr. cruised to reelection. 

In Passaic County, Republican freeholder candidate Deborah Ciambrone could be in a bit of an awkward position.

Ciambrone is on the ticket under GOP gubernatorial nominee Christopher Christie, who has spent much of his campaign talking tough to public employees' unions - including the New Jersey Educational Association (NJEA), which is expected to be a major cog in Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine's get-out-the-vote operation.  And Ciambrone, an 8th grade social studies teacher in Bloomingdale, was until this year a NJEA delegate assembly member, and she still works part-time as a consultant for the union.

Ciambrone said that when she first heard of Christie's decision not to seek the group's endorsement, she was "disappointed."  But her opinion changed after learning that Christie expressed willingness to sit down with the group.

"As far as seeking the endorsement, I guess I could say very frankly, what were his odds of getting it?  Although NJEA does at times endorse Republicans - for example they do endorse [Assemblyman] Scott Rumana - I think realistically they are going to endorse Corzine. So if he's willing to sit and talk with them, I am not so concerned with him going for the endorsement."

The union's president, Joyce Powell, characterized Christie's decision not to seek their endorsement as a snub, and Christie has spent a major part of his campaign calling for reforms like school vouchers and merit pay - issues the union opposes.  Ciambrone is sympathetic with the union on that front.

"I think with any candidate you have to look at everything they're saying. You may not agree with everything they say, but you may support them anyway.  So you have to look at the bigger picture," she said.  "So no, I would have a concern with school vouchers and merit pay."

NJEA.org

New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) President Joyce Powell

In keeping with his tough campaign rhetoric on public employees' unions, Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie has declined to seek the endorsement of the New Jersey Education Association's  (NJEA) political action committee.    

NJEA President Joyce Powell, whose group claims about 200,000 members, was offended by what she perceived as a snub by Christie.  She announced today that he sent her a letter turning down an invitation to participate in the union’s screening process.  

"It is unfortunate that Mr. Christie is unwilling to take the time to have an honest discussion about educational issues with the organization that represents the overwhelming majority of the state's educators.  It is also unfortunate that the Republican standard-bearer has chosen to break his party's long-standing tradition of candid discussion and direct communication with NJEA,” said Powell.

Powell noted that the union endorsed Tom Kean, Sr., who is the Christie campaign’s honorary chairman, for governor in the 1980s, though it did not specify if it was for one or both his 1981 and 1985 campaigns.  

The Christie campaign provided a copy of the letter.   In it, Christie said he wanted to meet with union representatives to “engage in a frank dialogue about the future of our public education system,” but that “doing so under the specter of an endorsement is difficult... that is why I will not be seeking the endorsement of your organization.”

New Jersey Education Association President Joyce Powell will be on NJN this weekend to talk about school district consolidation.

Governor Corzine will appear on Face the Nation on Sunday, airing 10:30a.m. on CBS.    

Today at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m., Michael Aron will host Reporters Roundtable, where four journalists will discuss Gov. Corzine’s budget announcement, the plan to furlough state workers, Chris Christie and Steve Lonegan’s contrasting budget ideas, Chris Daggett’s run for governor and the federal stimulus package.  Panelists are Max Pizarro of PolitickerNJ, Mary Fuchs of WBGO-WHYY Public Radio, The AP’s Angela Delli Santi and the Record’s John Reitmeyer.

This weekend’s On the Record, also hosted by Aron, will be about school district consolidation and will feature a discussion with NJEA President Joyce Powell; Assemblyman/Democratic State Chairman Joe Cryan; Dr. Gerald Vernotica from the Department of Education and a school district attorney Vito Gagliardi.  The show airs Sunday at 9a.m. and 11a.m., and again on Monday at 6:30a.m.

Tonight at 6:30 and Sunday at 10:00 a.m., catch The Bergen Record’s Charles Stile, Trish Graber of the Gloucester County Times, and PolitickerNJ.com’s own Matt Friedman on Reporters Roundtable, hosted by Michael Aron. The reporters will discuss the state budget, Gary Rose’s departure and county chairman contests.

On the Record, airing Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., will feature NJEA President Joyce Powell and Assemblymen Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) and Gordon Johnson (D-Bergen) discussing the budget.

If you can’t get enough Stile and Friedman, tune in to My9’s New Jersey Now, airing at 12:00 on Sunday, where the two will discuss political rumors. Also appearing on the show are Assemblymen Jon Bramnick (R-Union) and Ralph Caputo (D-Essex), who will debate what’s causing residents to flee New Jersey.

The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) will conduct mass demonstrations on Friday at the offices of thirty State Senators to protest legislation they say targets teacher and school employee pensions. NJEA officials say that thousands of union members will participate.

“We stand ready to work with the Legislature to root out the real causes of pension abuse and corruption that genuinely harm the state’s finances,” said NJEA President Joyce Powell. “But we will not tolerate – not now, not ever – any attempt to scapegoat teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, crossing guards, and other school employees for sins they have never committed.

NJEA members are sending legislators a message, Powell said: “We aren’t the problem. Craft legislation that eliminates the abuse you have tolerated for so long, and don’t target innocent people who educate New Jersey’s kids and keep them safe.”