NJ Education Report

Diane D’Amico over at The Press of Atlantic City has a handy cheat sheet on Corzine’s, Christie’s, and Daggett’s education platforms. Definitely worth a complete read, but here’s the skinny:

Corzine: more of the same.
Christie: paddling in a detail-free zone
Daggett: smart and impolitic

For example, Corzine applauds his own School Funding Reform Act, which is financially unsustainable under our current cash crunch. He’s big on consolidation, as long as that’s limited to eliminating the 26 districts without actual schools. Says he supports the expansion of charter schools, although no one believes him.

Christie says “preschool is vital to children’s development, but opposes Corzine’s plan to expand preschool to reach all low-income students. Has not offered an alternative.” On school consolidation: “no policy presented.”

Daggett: You’ve heard it: supports 5-year renewable tenure, elimination of the Special Review Assessment (hey – why didn’t Rev. Jackson back him?), admits that cuts in school aid are inevitable. On expansion of preschool: great idea, we can’t afford it. Here’s D’Amico’s summary of his view on school consolidation:

A waste of time. He said the “poison pill” requiring voters in each district to approve plans almost guarantees any proposal will fail, and the money saved is too small to justify the time and money it will cost to develop the plans.

Sadly, Daggett is correct. The current process for consolidating districts negates the possibility of doing so. Without the State offering financial incentives and stream-lining the process, consolidation is a pipe dream for those who observe the financial burden engendered by our municipal madness and yearn for thorazine.