Author Archive
NJEA Spends (At Least) $205,342 on School Board Races to Fight Wave of Parent Activism
Posted On10/24/2022 byThe NJEA’s Super PAC, Garden State Forward, looks like it has spent $205,342 on New Jersey school board races. So far. This makes sense, as the NJEA has launched a multi-pronged, statewide campaign against the wave of parents seeking greater control over their schools, and $200,000 in mailers would strongly augment the campaign. Here are…Read More
NJSpotlight Continues to Align Its Education Reporting with Its Major Financial Sponsor, the NJEA
Posted On10/20/2022 byThe decline of NJSpotlight News as an unbiased news organization continues. Here are two recent examples. First, NJ Spotlight covered Monday’s Assembly Education Committee hearings on learning loss caused by pandemic-related school closures, but only from one point of view. In the video piece — entitled “Teachers ask for less learning-loss messaging, fewer state assessments” — NJSpotlight provides…Read More
In the Lacey and Ocean School Districts, It’s the NJEA Against Parents with Teachers Reluctantly Caught in the Middle
Posted On10/19/2022 byWe now have on-the-ground confirmation about the tactics and reach of the NJEA’s well-funded, statewide campaign against parents who dare to speak up at school board meetings or run for school board this fall. As part of the campaign, union leadership seeks to thrust teachers into local political battles, but it looks like some teachers…Read More
Steve Swetsky Out after Brief Stint as NJEA’s Executive Director. Questions Abound.
Posted On10/17/2022 bySo Sunlight got it right back in July when we were alerted to a job opening for Executive Director of the NJEA and surmised that Steve Swetsky was out after a short stint as ED. We noted that Swetsky’s two predecessors, Vince Giordano and Ed Richardson, served six-year terms, while Swetsky will serve only three…Read More
Census Bureau: From 2011-2020, NJ Public School Enrollment Down -3%, Spending Up +27%
Posted On10/14/2022 bySeldom does one chart tell you so much about the influence of politically powerful special interests over New Jersey’s political system. In this case, it’s the influence of New Jersey’s largest teachers union and most powerful special interest, the NJEA, over Gov. Murphy. Sunlight just reviewed the US Census Bureau’s most recent surveys of public…Read More
2019 “Nation’s Report Card:” NJ Pays A Large Premium for a Quality Public Education; MA Does More with Less.
Posted On10/12/2022 byThe NJEA has re-jiggered its website again, and student performance is now at the top of the page. Perhaps sensing that teachers became dissatisfied with the NJEA’s all-politics-all-the-time focus, the NJEA has increasingly emphasized student success. Two of their datapoints are about the most recent results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the…Read More
Another Quid Pro Quo from Gov. Murphy? NJEA Fingerprints All Over New State Board of Ed Nominees.
Posted On10/03/2022 byGov. Murphy announced the nomination of three new members for the State Board of Education (SBOE), Mary Bennett, Dr. Kwanghee Jung and Dr. Claudine Keenan. All three are from the higher education community, which we suppose is fine, but we were sad to see Andy Mulvahill, a successful businessman and longtime board member, leave. Sunlight…Read More
A Little-Known History Lesson: Gov. Florio Stood Up to the NJEA and Paid for It as a One-Term Governor
Posted On09/29/2022 byLike all New Jersey, Sunlight was saddened to hear of Gov. Florio’s passing. To our surprise, we found ourselves agreeing with the NJEA that Gov. Florio’s “willingness to stand by what he believed was right rather than what was politically expedient remains a model for all those who seek to lead and is a testament…Read More
Reality Check: NJ Corporate, Property Taxes Still Highest in the Nation; Jobs Recovery Remains Weak
Posted On09/27/2022 byGov. Murphy has been loudly touting New Jersey’s ratings upgrades from the three major bond-rating agencies. The upgrades are indeed good news – so far as it goes. New Jersey has benefited from record tax revenues as well as billions in federal dollars, which has allowed Murphy to make full pension payments, pay down some…Read More
Why Did NJ Globe Mischaracterize Opposition to Teaching Sex Ed to Elementary Schoolchildren?
Posted On09/21/2022 byFor the second time in two days, a New Jersey news outlet has shown that it cannot present the facts accurately. Yesterday, it was NJ101.5 on teacher healthcare costs and today it’s New Jersey Globe. Here’s the headline from today’s Globe story: “Rutgers-Eagleton poll: New Jerseyans broadly support sex ed, but less so in lower…Read More