Jersey Jazzman noticed that Governor Chris Christie has been visiting Gulen charter schools. Governor Christie once represented Edison Schools, so there is no question that he likes privatization as a “solution” to the ills of urban education.
If you want to get the lowdown on Gulen charter schools, read Sharon Higgins or see Mark Hall’s film “Killing Ed.” (See here).
JJ finds it odd that Christie has an affinity for Gulen charter schools.
JJ writes:
There are times when I am astonished that the press doesn’t pick up on a particular story. For example: according to activists on Facebook, Chris Christie is having a private meeting tomorrow, June 30, 2016, at Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology.
If this is the case, it will be the third time since this spring that Chris Christie has visited a charter school linked to the controversial Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish expatriate living in seclusion in the United States.
On May 16, Christie visited Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School in Franklin. Two days later, he trekked to Bergen Arts & Sciences Charter School in Hackensack. Thomas Edison, Bergen A&S, and Paterson Science & Tech have all been linked by the Gulen Charter Schools website to the Gulenist movement in the US.
As I’ve written previously, the proliferation of Gulenist charter schools is not some wild-eyed conspiracy theory: it’s been reported on by CBS News, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Wall St. Journal. These schools, all linked to Gulen’s movement, have been popping up all over the country and are the subject of concerns expressed by the federal State Department due to their use of H1B visas to admit Turkish nationals into the US.
Given how closely tied Christie is to Donald Trump — who wants a ban on Muslims entering the country (although even he doesn’t seem to understand his own plan) — I can’t understand why no one in the state press has pursued this story. Why is Christie praising so many Gulen-linked charters? Why is he visiting so many of them?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
There are Turkish Muslims, and the rest of the Muslims.
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The Daily Beast ran a revealing piece about Chris Christie that might help explain what he is up to — not anything good, I think.
“From sleazy Sandy spending to Bridgegate to strange self-probes, this is your guide to all the state, city, federal, and internal investigations of New Jersey’s gov.”
And this was published back in June of 2014.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/25/who-isn-t-investigating-chris-christie.html
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Christe is a bully, an opportunist and a man of questionable integrity. Polls show him at 26% support in New Jersey. His administration has always been mired by misappropriation of funds. His mishandling of teacher pensions in New Jersey has created uncertainty for the future viability of the pension system. Christie makes deals with people, and then refuses to keep his end of the bargain. It is not surprising he supports Gulen schools. A man without scruples will always follow the money.
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Cannot get to the comment page…Ellen Lubic
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He gets TRIPS to TURKEY? Wouldn’t surprise me one bit.
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Like Ohio’s Speaker of the House. And, we can thank Sen. Sherrod Brown for supporting charter schools.
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Public schools are in a fight for life. I was an educater and then Teachers Union Rep. and President.
Education for money is a joke, all the lies about achievement, are un-founded. The sales personnel and administration make good salaries and the educators; unless there is a strong Union get paid poorly with limited worker rights.
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I want to know what they are teaching in those schools. Are kids required to learn verses from the koran, or to praise allah?
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Bea,
The Gulen schools are not religious s hooks, but they are Turkish schools. Their boards are majority Turkish, their teachers are majority Turkish. They hire Turkish contractors. Would we allow other nations to open schools and get public money?
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Christie is the anti-education governor. From day one he has slimed, swift boated and demonized the real public schools, their teachers and the unions. He went after the NJEA with a total viciousness that was breathtaking. But that wasn’t enough; he has portrayed the teachers’ pensions and health benefits as overly generous and the result of those “union thugs.” He pretty much blames NJ’s economic woes on the teacher pensions and the need to fund them. He’s the WORST!
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