Asbury Park Sources Clarify Loaded Gun Incident

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Since the Asbury Park High School incident when a student brought a loaded gun into the school — past a metal detector and a security staff that was, according to April 29th School Board minutes, gifted $250,000 for “increased costs of security” (I was told the money was spent on “Gestapo-like uniforms”) — I’ve received more information from people familiar with the matter. We already know how students sneak weapons into the high school. (See …

With Murphy In Recovery, NJEA and Sweeney Find Common Ground, Even If We’re Still Stuck With $700 Acupuncture Sessions.

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“Sen. Sweeney decides what legislation can be moved,” [NJEA President Marie Blistan] said. “As you can see right now, we are standing side by side, and we are smiling.” Hard to believe, this new-found camaraderie born after NJEA leaders spent $5 million of teachers’ dues to utterly fail at ousting Senate President Steve Sweeney. Yet here they stand, arm in arm, jointly announcing a deal that, if it works as promised, will save school districts …

Who Keeps Students and Staff Safe at Asbury Park? A Behind-the-Scenes Look at What Parents Don’t Know.

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Thursday’s post described an incident where a student brought a loaded gun into school, despite the presence of metal detectors. In the aftermath, Principal Kathy Baumgartner was suspended with pay, pending an investigation (more information on this tomorrow) and the student was charged by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office for “unlawful possession of a weapon and weapon possession at education institutions.” In that post I said, based on the information available at the time, that …

Asbury Park High School Student Brings Loaded Gun to School; Community and Staff Kept in the Dark.

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I have a scoop that I wish I didn’t have, courtesy of three anonymous sources, all staff members at Asbury Park Public Schools. An Asbury Park High School student brought a loaded gun to school. One source said this happened for three consecutive days; another said it was one day. This student sat through classes with the loaded gun until another student told Principal Kathy Baumgardner (photo above).  Asbury Park High School has metal detectors …

Welcome to Montclair, Where “Progressivism” Turns Into the “Epitome of Black Oppression”

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I know this will be controversial but I don’t  have a problem if a teacher is found to be racist, as long as it doesn’t interrupt instruction.* I feel comfortable around black people because I grew up on a dairy farm where my family employed four black families. Who’s that? Why, it’s Nathan Parker,  the superintendent of the “progressive” suburban school district of Montclair, New Jersey where the average price for a home is $662,000 and …

Leaked NJ DOE Email: “I’ve Been Forced Into Early Retirement by Assistant Commissioner Linda Eno.”

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[Update: Yesterday Asst. Comm. Eno announced to staff that she is leaving the Department of Education in June.] This is an email sent Friday by a 20-year staff member of the New Jersey Department of Education who must take an early retirement due to unreasonable strictures imposed by Assistant Commissioner Linda Eno. This employee works on Whole School Reform in one of the state’s four Learning Resource Centers which provide free or low-cost onsite support …

Repollet Welcomes His Fraternity Bros to Their New Place of Employment!

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On Friday, reporting on Asbury Public School District’s recent State Audit, I noted, “Word on the ground is that friends of the superintendent are quickly promoted to administrative levels, a trend that began with [current Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet, former Asbury Park superintendent] and continues under [current Asbury Park superintendent Sasha] Gray.” Some habits die hard. Sources report that many new hires at the Department of Education are Repollet’s fraternity brothers from the Phi Beta …

Asbury Park Spends $42K per Student and Still Can’t Get the Job Done: Highlights from the Recent State Audit.

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Once again it’s time to take a look at Asbury Park Public School District, which spends more per pupil ($42,382 total a year) than almost any other district and is the former post of Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet. This past November the New Jersey State Legislature’s Office of the State Auditor completed an analysis of the district’s functioning that spans from July 2016 (when Repollet was still superintendent) to December 2018. The auditor, Stephen M. …

Murphy Talks Budget and Lakewood Gets Cash.

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This morning the Lakewood Board of Education held a meeting in the high school auditorium for representatives from 127 private ultra-Orthodox Jewish day schools to learn about an unexpected boon: A little-noticed bill signed by Governor Murphy last year allots $5 million to pay public school STEM teachers (STEM=Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) to earn extra money — more than they’d get per hour for extra duties in their traditional or charter schools —to teach in …

Half of Teacher Prep Programs In New Jersey Get “F’s.”

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The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), as part its recent Teacher Prep Review,  just evaluated a total of 2,506 undergraduate and graduate elementary, secondary, and special education programs offered by education schools in 1,120 public and private institutions of higher education. Fifty percent of teacher prep programs across America received “A” or “B” grades, compared to only 35% in 2013. Great right? Especially since we’re owning up to what many call a crisis in …