Sunlight Blog
NJ’s First Black Rhodes Scholar Speaks Out for Education Equity and Against Powerful Special Interests
Posted On01/19/2021 byRandal D. Pinkett, an NJ entrepreneur and Rhodes Scholar, penned an op-ed in the Star-Ledger with some trenchant observations, particularly about NJ’s special-interest-dominated education system. Sunlight excerpted some relevant parts below: ” … [S]everal issues need to be addressed in New Jersey, but these issues are often ignored. Why? Because … [o]ur elected officials are…Read More
Oscar James: Newark Superintendent Roger Leon is the Union’s “Puppet” and Is Hurting Newark’s Kids
Posted On01/15/2021 byYesterday, Sunlight blogged about Newark’s student absenteeism scandal and asked where Superintendent Roger Leon stood on the matter. Today, Newark’s Oscar James blogged an answer on Newark Neighborhood View. James excoriated Newark Superintendent Roger Leon for his abandonment of Newark’s kids by kowtowing to the Newark Teachers Union (NTU) and its president John Abeigon. Sunlight…Read More
For the Newark Teachers Union, It’s About the Money, Not the Students. Where is Superintendent Roger Leon?
Posted On01/14/2021 byNJLeft Behind reposted a startling Chalkbeat story about the under-reported absenteeism at Newark Public Schools. To the surprise of no one, it’s all about the money and adults’ jobs, not the students. From Chalkbeat: “Schools might have had additional reasons for relaxing their attendance policies. A teacher at one of the city’s comprehensive high schools…Read More
New Jersey and California Share the Same “Legal Corruption” by Public-Sector Unions
Posted On01/12/2021 byPresident Will Swaim of the California Policy Center wrote a new year’s letter to CPC subscribers decrying the “legal corruption” by California’s public-sector unions. The letter’s language would perfectly describe New Jersey if you simply swapped “New Jersey” for “California” and changed some of the numbers. In fact, Sunlight’s website contains a research project (for the…Read More
NJ Policy Perspective’s McKoy Chooses to Ignore NJ’s Serious Outmigration Problem
Posted On01/07/2021 byROI’s Tom Bergeron interviewed New Jersey Policy Perspective president Brandon McKoy about the most recent United Van Lines moving survey, which ranked NJ as the state with the highest percentage of its movers leaving the state – for the third straight year. McKoy dismisses the UVL survey as a “joke” and redirects the focus from…Read More
Paid “Release Time:” Another Way in which NJ Taxpayers Are Being Fleeced by the NJEA
Posted On01/04/2021 byThe Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by John Riches and Justin Meyers describing their lawsuit to stop Jersey City from using taxpayer dollars to fund teachers working full-time for the teachers union (called “release time”). This is just another abuse of taxpayers by powerful government unions. You can bet that the NJEA is providing legal…Read More
NJ Policy Perspective’s McKoy Speaks Up for His NJEA Patrons
Posted On12/23/2020 byWell, at least Brandon McKoy is showing his true colors. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) president panned the recent passage of a new economic-development incentive program: “We’re in a moment of economic weakness and we just said ‘we’re going to reduce our revenues.’” In other words, McKoy’s…Read More
Looks Like the NJEA Is Ramping Up Its Dark Money Ops for the 2021 Elections
Posted On12/21/2020 bySunlight recently had occasion to look at the NJEA’s budget, and it looks very much like spending on dark money Super PAC New Direction New Jersey (NDNJ) was to be increased substantially for 2020 and 2021. In 2019, the NJEA spent $3.1 million on “Organizational Projects,” which Sunlight previously revealed to be covert funding for…Read More
The NJEA and Its Network of Allies Move to Squash Standardized Testing for 2021
Posted On12/16/2020 bySunlight had to take note of a new campaign the NJEA is pushing on its members because it once again reveals the NJEA’s vast network of allies at work. On its website, the NJEA is urging its members to sign a petition to “suspend high-stakes student testing” in the spring. As detailed in Sunlight’s report…Read More
NJEA Claims Sunlight’s Pension Report Has “Many Inaccuracies.” Our Response: Name One.
Posted On12/15/2020 byThe NJEA responded to an NJTV piece (go to minute 19:00) on Sunlight’s recent report on teachers’ pensions by claiming it had “many inaccuracies.” Sunlight asks the NJEA to name one. The NJEA will not be able to because Sunlight’s report is factual, with all data and assertions sourced and footnoted. The NJEA also claims…Read More