Three New Jersey bloggers–Jersey Jazzman, Marie Corfield, and Ani McHugh–here jointly respond to Tom Moran, chief editorial writer for the Star-Ledger and chief cheerleader for Newark’s state-appointed superintendent Cami Anderson. Their open letter was jointly posted on their blogs at 7 a.m. This morning. Although Moran has ignored them and any other critics of the Christie-Anderson plan to eliminate public schools in Newark, they are hoping that their collaboration might get his attention.
They write:
“Until now, your pieces in the Star-Ledger about Newark’s school system and the reorganization of the district have been ill-informed and reckless. You’ve ignored the warnings of teachers, parents, community leaders, researchers, and students, preferring instead to cling to recycled talking points crafted by those with scant little experience in education policy, but much to gain in profits.
“You’ve paid a price: like your ridiculous attempt to walk back from your disastrous endorsement of Chris Christie, your continuing effort to support State Superintendent Cami Anderson while distancing yourself from the consequences of her catastrophic leadership has shredded any integrity you had left as a journalist. Any standing your newspaper had left as a champion of the people of Newark has also eroded: as with Anderson, no one in the city trusts you or the Star-Ledger’s editorial page anymore.
“Shame on you for refusing to educate yourself about the policies you endorse.”
“But as awful as your previous meanderings about Newark’s schools have been, at least you never had the bad taste to try to pawn off Anderson’s failures and your own poor judgement to others. At least you never tried to make the case that the impending disaster of One Newark was the fault of anyone but the Christie administration, its appointed superintendent, and her enablers in government and the press.
“This week, however, you crossed that line. We have tried individually in the past to get your attention and set the record straight to no avail (see all the links later in this piece). Therefore, we—professional educators with a combined total of seven degrees, a PhD in the works, and 38 years of teaching experience—who, along with countless others across this state, have stood against the illogical, faith-based, and racist education policies you espouse for Newark regularly from your position of influence, have come together to deliver you a message.”
They document that Newark’s charters do not serve the same population as Newark Public Schools. They do not have the same proportion of students who are poor, have special needs, or don’t speak English.
They write:
“The sad truth is that parents in your town of Montclair (or any other mostly white, mostly wealthy suburban community) would never willingly subject their own children to what’s happening in Newark right now:
“Public schools being closed without community input
“Children in the same family being sent to different schools in different parts of town on a transportation system that’s never been tested
“Tax dollars going to a school system that is separate and unequal: that segregates the neediest students from those who are the easiest and least expensive to educate
“The harsh, unforgiving “no excuses” disciplinary policies that are characteristic of so many charter schools
“Mass layoffs of education professionals
“A superintendent who has been a colossal failure at fiscal management
“Schools in such disrepair that they are unsafe to occupy
“A superintendent who refuses to listen, who refuses to attend board of ed meetings, and who is not supported by the community
“In fact, the parents of Montclair are fighting back right now, but you have not written one word about it. Why is it okay for them to fight back, but when the parents of Newark do so, you accuse them of “shrieking” and being “shrill and unreasonable”? Are the parents of Newark not smart enough to know what’s good for their own children? Don’t you think they can smell a rat as well as someone from the ‘burbs?
“Public education belongs to the public. The board of ed is answerable to all the people. But in Newark? Meh, what do those people know? They have no money, so they have no voice. They aren’t the right skin color, so they have no voice. They can’t write big campaign checks, so they have no voice. They aren’t concerned parents. They are, in your words:”
They write much more.
You can read their cri de coeur, their plea for fairness for the children and parents of Newark here, here, here, and here.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Amazingly, two things can occupy the exact same space at the exact same time.
Re the self-styled leaders of “education rheephorm”: at the heart of their charterite/privatization movement is both a moral black hole and a searing self-serving hypocrisy.
*Note to the shills and trolls: do not include so many of the staff, parents and students in my description. It should be obvious that I am referring to the Duncans and Rhees and Christies and Emanuels et al.*
Refer, for example, to Arne Duncan’s speech to the American Educational Research Association [AERA] annual meeting of April 30, 2013, where he presages his current ‘all things to all people’ messaging. He both supports and opposes and somewhat supports/somewhat opposes standardized testing. Best of all for him, he blamed his audience—amongst whom could be found some of his fiercest and most cogent critics re such tests!—for, of all things—
Not getting testing right!
Link: http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/choosing-right-battles-remarks-and-conversation
So perhaps the chief promoter/enforcer of high-stakes standardized testing absolves himself of any responsibility for his own actions and puts the blame for that hazing ritual on others. A threefer: he gets to keep his job and do his damage and put the onus on everyone else but himself.
Tom Moran—déjà vu all over again!
Talking points—apparently, like items on resumés, they are being copied and circulated amongst the $tudent $ucce$$ crowd. He keeps his job and does his damage and puts the onus on others. Another threefer!
It’s not just good behavior that inspires imitation. Bad behavior has its imitators too.
What can one say about such folks?
In a pinch, we don’t even need an old dead Greek guy:
“You have a nice personality, but not for a human being.” [Henny Youngman]
😎
How about a collection for an advertisement in the SL reprinting the joint letter? That should catch the eyeballs of readers and Mr. Moran’s attention as well!
What a great idea to take out a page in the Star-Ledger. If the NJ bloggers like that, I will help.
Thank you so much, Diane–and thank you for posting!
I read the article and their response. It sounds like Tom Moran is jealous of Bob Braun by painting him as one of the conspiracy theorists. They work for the same newspaper, but probably they don’t share the same cubicle. I want to see how Bob Braun would respond to Moran’s cheap shot.
Ken Watanabe, Bob Braun DID respond. I posted his response early this morning. He really lets Tom Moran have it. He does not work at the Star-Ledger now. He did for 50 years. He retired and speaks his mind freely:
Thank you, Diane.
Oh, Diane, that would be quite amazing! As I write this, the parents of Newark are boycotting the One Newark plan by keeping their children home from school, and protesting in 90+ degree heat. If Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive, he’d be marching with them. Anything we can do to call out Moran and the Star Ledger on the boatloads of misinformation they disseminate, and their flat-out refusal to face the facts is a win for the people of Newark. I’m in work now (lunch!), but will email you later to see what we can do. Thanks so much!
Marie, I’m with you.
Ms Corfield et al., terrific letter. Are your colleagues & neighbors outside Essex Co contacting their NJ reps to state that we must do better than One Newark plan? Senator Rice can’t do it alone. Call David Hespe’s office. He hasn’t even named the community task force for C Anderson that he said he’d appoint when her contract was renewed 2 months ago. Write to members of the NJ State Dept of Education.
Incidentally, from the website, it looks as if Dr Dorothy Strickland’s (Essex Co) term expires 2014. She’s a respected educator who knows urban education. Who will Christie name to succeed her? The Board does not have one member from each county. His latest appointees have connections to private schools (Peck, Newark Academy).
Hopefully Christie won’t replace her any time soon. Several board members remain long past their ‘expiration dates’. If he replaces one, he has to replace them all. And frankly at this point, he has bigger fish to fry… in Iowa and New Hampshire and…
Dear Dr Ravitch & readers,
I read at the Newark Parents Union page that Oct 1st is scheduled for “The Christie Experience,” a mock town hall. Evidently, when a governor can’t schedule a town hall in the state’s largest city in 4+ years, they will be resourceful and hold one to highlight his attitude.
Rosi Efthim, here. I’m the editor at Blue Jersey. We also front-paged this Open Letter to Tom Moran, because I wanted our readers (who are not all in education) to see it, too: http://www.bluejersey.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=25662
Dr. Ravitch, thank you so much for using your site’s reach to forward this message to Moran. He has stubbornly ignored the Newark Parents Union, Newark Students Union, NJ Communities United, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (an educator by profession) and all the well-sourced information that Marie, Ani, Jersey Jazzman, Bob Braun and others have provided him.
Can you set up one of those accounts where we donate on line? How much is a page in the Star-Ledger?
NJ Teacher: working on it with NJ bloggers.
Moran finally responded—after screaming & cursing at Blue Jersey editor, Rosi Efthim: http://www.bluejersey.com/diary/25670/an-answer-from-moran. Way to keep it classy.