State Senator Ronald Rice promised hearings into the Christie plan called “One Newark,” which would turn over 1/3 of the city’s umbilical schools to charter operators. Ironic name for Balkanization, no?
“Let me assure you I will be calling for an investigation into the operation of the Newark district,” Rice said at the close of a two-hour hearing in Newark City Hall about the so-called “One Newark” plan that would close, transfer to charters, redesign or otherwise “repurpose” more than a third of the schools in the state’s largest city. He predicted state education officials and Cami Anderson, the state-appointed superintendent, would probably not show up to answer questions. “If they continue to refuse to respond, then we will have to begin to demand they give us answers. We will ask for subpoena power.”
“Many of the complaints have been heard before but the hearing was significant because it brought out organizations that have been relatively silent on the growing concern about the privatization of public schools, especially through the vast expansion of charter schools.
“The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), which has said little about the growing privatization movement, sent a vice president, Marie Blistan, to the hearing. She told the legislators, “It is clear that what the Christie Administration and the Departmentof Education are attempting to impose on Newark is just the beginning of an assault on the very principles of public education across the entire state of New Jersey.”
“Joyce McCree, the president of the NJEA’s small affiliate in Newark, used ever stronger words, contending the Christie administration was “engaged in a systematic campaign to undermine, demonize and ultimately privatize schools.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This post may have the greatest unintended auto-correct ever on this blog.
The corporations and politicians are going after the power of the unions with the charter schools. If school districts were fair and hired the best and didn’t take part in nepotism and cronyism and gave a fair salary with fair benefits there wouldn’t be a need for the union in the first place.
This is not a true statement. Yes, there is always some nepotism and cronyism which is unfair, but there are great people out there work hard for the children, but without the union could be gone in a second on someone’s whim. It could be for disagreeing with some power or just because he/she makes what the powers that be consider too much money. Without union protection, we can be also given work conditions that could be horrendous. Unfortunately, I have seen these types of conditions even at times with unions involved, because people just do not care about the teachers and other staff
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I like Blistan. She’s smart, eloquent, and passionate. In fact, Steinhauer impresses me, too. Glad that NJEA is finally getting involved in the fight which I’m sure they’ve avoided because of the AFT presence in Newark.