Breaking News: NJEA Lawyers Demand Lakewood Schools Stop Violating State Social Distancing Orders

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Last week the law firm Selikoff & Cohen sent a seven-page letter on behalf of NJEA and the union’s local Lakewood arm to Superintendent Laura Winters demanding that the district “cease and desist its blatant violation of  violation of Executive Orders 104 and 107 and the guidance issued by the New Jersey Department of Education on school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The letter is cc’d to the president of the local union, the president …

Seven Tips for Parents of Children With Disabilities During School Closures.

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The National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools just released its “top tips” for parents of students with disabilities during these endless school closures. Check it out! If you’re a parent whose world has been turned upside down by COVID-19, you’re certainly not alone. In the span of days as the virus spread, America’s parents took on a new role—co-teachers. And as students around the world have transitioned to remote learning, parents of students …

Senator Ruiz amd Assemblywoman Lampitt Join Public Charter School Leaders To Share Best Practices for Home Instruction: Sign Up Now!

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For teachers, parents, and administrators struggling to meet children’s educational needs during the coronavirus pandemic, here’s an opportunity to learn about best practices: Next Tuesday, May 19th, from 11 am to 12:15, the New Jersey Public Charter School Association is hosting a webinar to share innovative distance learning practices from schools that are knocking it out of the park. For families and public schools — both within and without New Jersey — this is a …

The King Is Dead, Long Live the King: What Does Repollet’s Departure Mean for New Jersey’s Education Department?

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Last night the Board of Trustees of Kean University, one of New Jersey’s public colleges, voted to install current Department of Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet as its new president. This was not a surprise: I first reported on rumors within the DOE of Repollet’s Kean ambitions in June 2019. The more interesting questions are 1) Who are the likely prospects to replace Repollet and 2) Why is he taking the job at Kean? When Repollet …

Repollet (Finally!) Will Be Appointed as President of Kean University.

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When did I first hear this rumor, widely circulated among staff member of the New Jersey Department of Education? Actually in June 2019 I wrote, Sometimes timing is everything, not just for blog posts but for soft landings. Before we get to the new appointments (one in particular), I have heard now from four sources that Repollet has a specific reason for leaving at the end of June: He will take over the presidency at …

My Son’s School Is My Partner As We Work Together on His Emotional Health

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This is a guest post by Alison Seanor, a parent of a first grade student at Elysian Charter School in Hoboken, New Jersey. Every morning I log into a Zoom and see dozens of smiling, six-year old faces beaming back at me.  My son isn’t one of them. He’s the one hiding under the coffee table at my feet.  Transitioning to remote learning has not been easy for my son, Nicholas. My normally calm and …

Okay, Boomer: Why Mark Weber’s Argument Won’t Convince Millennials and Gen Z’ers To Become Teachers.

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Mark Weber, aka Jersey Jazzman, just published a paper at New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), a sequel to a paper he published in September. The theme of both is that New Jersey is in grave danger of not having enough high-quality teachers to fill classrooms. Why? Prospective employees are shunning careers as educators because salaries are too low, our pension system is shaky, and teachers don’t get enough respect.  I agree with all of that: …

Tonight the Lakewood School Board Will Approve A Budget It Can’t Pay For.

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Later today at its public meeting the Lakewood Board of Education will approve a budget of $204 million that assumes the state will kick in a loan of $60 million. In addition, the Board will request that Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet defer the repayment of prior year DOE loans. The Board will also approve attorney Michael Inzelbuch’s annual compensation of $750,000. A few notes: If the State approves the $60 million loan, Lakewood’s unpaid annual …

100,000 Students in New Jersey Are Cut Off From Remote Instruction: Murphy and Repollet Say “Let Them Eat Cake.”

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In mid-March President Trump told a group of governors they were on their own in searching for respirators to help those stricken with the coronavirus. “Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment — try getting it yourselves. We will be backing you, but try getting it yourselves. Point of sales, much better, much more direct if you can get it yourself. This reminds me of the 90,000-100,000 New Jersey students — disproportionately low-income and of color—who …

Why Can’t We Fix Asbury Park? Thirteen Years of State Oversight and Still Circling the Drain.

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I’ve spent a fair bit of time recently on Asbury Park Public Schools at the behest of residents and staff members who have asked me to weigh in on the proposed 2020-2021 budget that the Board will approve on Thursday.  People are alarmed: They’re looking at a 22% school tax increase and, judging by reports of last week’s meeting, which I reported on here, Board members seemed fairly clueless about the details. Why? Because in …