Page 19 - 40thAnniversaryNJPSA

NJ School Boards Association, NJ Association of School 2. Administrator Tenure at Risk,
Business Officials, NJ Association of School Administrators, but Principal Tenure Rights
NJPTA, to groups representing special populations of students Ultimately Protected!
including the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN), the
NAACP, the Association for Children of New Jersey, and the In the latter-1990s, Governor Christine Todd Whitman
Education Law Center. We also have brought our members, proposed a significant “reform” that would have negatively
the best advocates for their students and schools, to the doors and permanently transformed the principalship in New Jersey,
of the legislative chambers to lobby for their students’ needs which required swift action by the GR Team and NJPSA
directly to those occupying the voting seats of the Legislature. members.

Just two years later, the Abbott plaintiffs returned to the NJ In her State of the State address on January 13, 1998,
Supreme Court on the issue of whether the QEA had met the Governor Whitman announced her intention to sign a bill to be
Court’s requirements in its remedy. Following a remand to a developed by the Republican-majority Legislature that would
trial judge to develop a record, the Supreme Court affirmed eliminate tenure for all school principals. NJPSA immediately
the trial judge’s conclusion in 1994, finding the QEA to be set out to pressure legislators to oppose this bill, urging its
unconstitutional and sending the Legislature back to the school members, through a statewide campaign, to send personal
funding formula drawing board. letters to Senate President Donald DiFransesco, Assembly
Speaker Jack Collins and other Senators and Assembly
A similar cycle occurred for the next school funding formula. members.
The Legislature enacted the Comprehensive Education
Improvement and Financing Act (CEIFA) in 1996, and by Most importantly, we developed an alternative choice for
January 1997 the Abbott plaintiffs filed a challenge to the NJ legislators to retain principal tenure, yet reform the tenure
Supreme Court claiming the statute was unconstitutional. This hearing process itself! By working closely with key legislators,
time, the Supreme Court, losing its patience with the legislative including former principal, Senator Joseph Palaia, and
remedies provided, detailed their own remedy. The Court Assemblyman Louis Romano, a school business official, Debra
ordered parity in foundation funding for the 1997-98 school Bradley was able to draft alternative legislation to streamline
year and beyond at the level of the wealthiest school districts. the tenure hearing process, reducing timelines and costs,
This funding parity was to continue until the Legislature could clarifying the extended tenure filing process, and ultimately
demonstrate that a lower level of resources would allow meeting Governor Whitman’s goal of enhancing accountability
poor urban students to achieve the academic standards of at the principal level. Previous efforts to “reform” tenure and
the state. Lastly, the Court again remanded the case to a due process rights often included the assistance of NJEA
trial judge to develop a record on the issues of supplemental advocacy, yet, this particular fight was initially waged as our
programs and school facilities. This record ultimately resulted own, as the bill specifically targeted our members. Through
in Supreme Court orders requiring high quality preschool sustained association pressure, plus meetings with the Senate
programs (starting at age 3 for at-risk students), supplemental President and other legislators, we were ultimately able to
programs based upon the needs of “at-risk” students, and a build a strong coalition of legislators and other organizations
comprehensive school facilities program in the Abbott districts to advocate for our vision of tenure reform, which retains
to meet the constitutional requirement of a “thorough and principals’ tenure rights to this day. Without the hard fought
efficient education” in the now 30 Abbott districts. efforts of past members, legislative leaders who heard us, and
your GR advocacy team, principals would not have tenure
These court rulings resulted in untold hours of legislative rights today.
hearings on school funding, facilities, and corollary legislation
and regulations focused on the related issues of the physical
and educational components of high quality early childhood
education, the appropriate qualifications of early childhood
teachers and staff, the curriculum, and funding levels
required to provide it all. It also resulted in a statewide school
construction plan with an initial investment of $6 billion dollars
and subsequent investment of $2.8 billion dollars for Abbott
and non-Abbott construction projects. Yet, this was only one
stage in the school funding battles that unsurprisingly continue
to this day.

Tenure rights for

principals protected!