Sunlight Blog
Former Public School Teacher Blasts Teachers Unions for Prioritizing Political Activism over Educating Kids
Posted On06/01/2023 byA friend of Sunlight’s sent us an excellent Tablet article by Alex Gutentag, a former teacher in Oakland, CA public schools. We urge you to read the whole piece, as it provides the perspective of a public school teacher who really wanted to teach and felt betrayed by his union and its focus on political…Read More
Laid-Off Montclair Teachers Reap the Whirlwind from NJEA President/Montclair Mayor Spiller’s Conflict of Interest
Posted On05/19/2023 byNJEA President/Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller’s conflict of interest continues to negatively affect Montclair and its school system. This time, it’s the dozens of young teachers and paraprofessionals being laid off, who will be leaving the school system along with the hundreds of kids who fled the extended school closures abetted by Spiller. All of this…Read More
Working Families, NJ Policy Perspective and Education Law Center: The NJEA’s Million-Dollar Allies
Posted On05/16/2023 byMaking our way through the NJEA’s 2020 IRS filing (the most recent), we now turn to the NJEA’s network of allies. The NJEA has long used its millions of withheld teachers’ dues to fund a variety of groups that augment the NJEA’s pursuit of political influence, often allowing the NJEA to obscure its own role…Read More
Gov. Murphy Fails to Address Learning Loss and then Tries to Hide It by Lowering Education Standards
Posted On05/11/2023 byRarely does the juxtaposition of two events — actually one event and one non-event — paint such a clear picture of reality. Unfortunately, the reality is one of a failure in leadership by Gov. Murphy. First, we have the failing New Jersey Partnership for Student Success (NJPSS). NJPSS was Murphy’s belated effort (launched in December,…Read More
Dark-money PAC-Funded NJ Public Education Coalition Claims to be Fighting Dark-Money PACs
Posted On05/05/2023 byIt’s a challenge to keep up with the mendacity of Michael “Hundreds of Millions” Gottesman, founder of the New Jersey Pubic Education Coalition (NJPEC) and bomb-throwing, would-be intimidator of school boards around the state. As Sunlight has documented in the past, Gottesman has a tenuous relationship with the truth, and here his brazen audacity predictably…Read More
Retired NJEA Executive Director Made $878,569 in 2020, Bringing Total Pay to Over $8 Million
Posted On05/04/2023 byJust when you thought the last $2.5 million chapter had been written on former-NJEA executive director Ed Richardson’s lucrative career as a NJEA officer, Sunlight has learned that he was paid another $878,569 after he retired, bringing his reported career compensation to $8.2 million. By comparison, New Jersey teachers — whose highest-in-the-nation dues funded Richardson’s…Read More
More Indications that Education Truth Project and NJ Public Education Coalition Are NEA/NJEA Fronts
Posted On04/25/2023 byTime for another update on the dark-money Super PAC Education Truth Project (ETP) and its New Jersey affiliate, New Jersey Public Education Coalition (NJPEC). Both organizations were set up to back progressive school board candidates against the wave of parent-activists who ran for school board during the 2022 election cycle and were supported by groups…Read More
New Jersey Gets Bond-Rating Upgrades, But Many Challenges Remain for the Future
Posted On04/18/2023 byThe good news: all three bond-rating agencies upgraded their ratings for New Jersey’s bonds for the second time in the last year. The upgrades are good news in that they reflect an improved fiscal condition, largely due to efforts to address New Jersey’s substantial long-term debt burden. The Murphy administration is taking victory laps, but…Read More
By Lowering Standards, Gov. Murphy Seeks to Hide the Learning Loss Caused by His Education Policies
Posted On04/06/2023 byOur friends at NJEdReport published an excellent piece on how “in a fit of dishonesty” Gov. Murphy’s Department of Education (DOE) is seeking to lower the proficiency standards for New Jersey high school students. We urge you to reach the entire piece because it underscores just how low Murphy is willing to stoop to package…Read More
In a Ruthless and Cynical Display of Political Power, Gov. Murphy and the Legislature Undercut Independent Election Watchdog
Posted On04/04/2023 byThe ruthlessness and cynicism of Gov. Murphy and the majority of Democrats in the legislature are breathtaking. How ruthless? The legislature passed and Murphy signed into law the “Elections Transparency Act,” which will permit Murphy to undercut the independence of the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) by unilaterally appointing the four commissioners, who will then…Read More