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4. Upheaval for Schools in the Chris from members, outreach to legislators, and legislative speakers
Christie Years (2010-2018) at county meetings to protest the devastation to schools.

On January 19, 2010, Governor Chris Christie was sworn in By this point in time, Governor Christie had settled upon his
as the 55th Governor of New Jersey, and so the pendulum public relations strategy, utilizing the NJEA, teachers, and
took a dramatic turn for our schools in ways many could not education as his perfect foil upon which to blame the economic
anticipate. With an aggressive, bare-knuckles style and an woes of the state budget. He began this attack in his now
unanticipated strategy of partnering with Democratic political infamous statewide, well-staged Town Hall meetings and the
bosses out of the chute, Republican Governor Chris Christie attacks did not stop during his two terms in office. The alleged
threw politics as usual in Trenton upside down. “greed and failures” of the education system became his
mantra, and it played well on primetime. No one in education
Taking office at the time of the global banking crisis, Christie was spared, as even his own Education Commissioner, Bret
immediately faced his first state budget challenge and an $11 Schundler, received the proverbial “ax” after an early dispute
billion budget deficit. In FY 2010, Governor Corzine had spent with Governor Christie over figures for a failed Race to the Top
all of a one-time Obama federal stimulus package to stabilize grant application.
schools and other government functions. Christie did not have
this option. Shortly after passing that first devastating state budget,
Christie proposed a series of education “reforms” that in
Instead, he immediately took back $400 million in FY 2010 substance, speed, and manner of enactment rocked the
direct state aid from school districts across the board, leading education community yet aligned with the Christie storyline.
to program cuts and layoffs in some districts mid-year. For In November 2010, superintendent salary caps based upon
FY 2011, he proposed an $820 million reduction in state aid student enrollment were enacted through rules and the
for public schools, which led thousands of students statewide authority of the Commissioner of Education, not a duly passed
to stage walkouts protesting the cuts to their education. In bill by the Legislature. A 2% property tax levy cap had been
May 2010, NJPSA members joined 35,000 educators and enacted to hold down spending with the state budget. And,
other stakeholders in Trenton to protest Christie’s proposed a series of education reform legislation (over 30 bills) was
education cuts and proposed “solutions,” which ranged proposed in the Christie “Toolkit” the following fall and winter,
from salary freezes to pension cuts to school tax caps. Our to hold down school spending, free children from “failing”
statewide campaign featured a large band aid with the saying schools, improve school performance, and provide parental
“Cuts Hurt Kids.” The GR Team organized public testimony choice in education. The Toolkit proposals included legislation
that did the following: