Categories: News

New WHYY Post: Sneak Peek at NJ Statehouse Education Agenda

Welcome back and a happy new year to all my wonderful readers. Here’s the beginning of my column today at WHYY’s Newsworks

As 2013 rolled to a close this week, the New Jersey State Legislature was busy with a grab bag of last-minute education bills. Call them stocking stuffers: sweet treats for constituents and lobbyists alike.

Who can say “nay” to a requirement that all districts provide full-day kindergarten or another that mandates daily recess for kindergarteners through 5th graders? Can any legislator turn tightwad over a bill that increases community participation by moving school board candidate deadlines from June to July? Any Scrooges ready to oppose a law that encourages joint purchasing agreements among local districts?

While most of these bills are no more contentious than froth on your eggnog, others provide tidings of 2014’s legislative fixation: oversight of special education services for children with disabilities and, particularly, services provided by N.J.’s robust cadre of private special education schools.

Read the rest here.

Laura Waters

View Comments

  • "Who can say "nay" to a requirement that all districts provide full-day kindergarten or another that mandates daily recess for kindergarteners through 5th graders?"

    Probably nobody if they impose them as unfunded mandates for local districts.

Recent Posts

BREAKING: Statement from JerseyCAN on State’s Long-Delayed Release of Student Test Results

This is a statement by Paula White, Executive Director of JerseyCAN, on the New Jersey…

2 years ago

NJEA: Murphy’s Elimination of Teacher Performance Test Is a Major Win for Students and Educators

This is a press release. Earlier today, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill to eliminate…

2 years ago

Murphy Signs Bill Eliminating EdTPA Test for Teacher Certification

Today Gov. Phil Murphy signed Senate Bill 896, which prohibits the New Jersey Department of…

2 years ago

LILLEY: Blue States Had More School Closures and More Learning Loss — Just Like NJ under Gov. Murphy

The 74 conducted a study of the relative learning loss in Democratic (Blue) and Republican (Red) states and…

2 years ago

One of Newark Superintendent’s New High Schools Tolerates Racism Against Black Students

In October 2020 Newark Superintendent Roger Leon announced with great fanfare the opening of district’s…

2 years ago