Christopher Cerf, a Montclair resident, is CEO of Sangari Education
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Christopher Cerf, former New York City deputy chancellor, will be nominated by Gov. Chris Christie to be the state's next education commissioner, a source said.TRENTON — Christopher Cerf, a former New York City deputy schools chancellor described as "one of the most talented and sophisticated people in education in America today," will be nominated as New Jersey’s next education commissioner, two people briefed on the nomination said tonight.
Gov. Chris Christie is expected to formally nominate Cerf, a 56-year-old Montclair resident, next week, according to one of the two people. Both asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
If confirmed by the state Senate, Cerf would take over an embattled department that has been without a commissioner since August, when Bret Schundler was fired after the state lost $400 million in federal education aid, and an education system has been under relentless attacks by Christie.
"I know the governor wants someone who is tough and fair and who will move the system forward. Chris is the right man for that work," said Joel Klein, the outgoing New York City schools chancellor who said he has known Cerf for nearly 30 years.
"Chris is one of the most talented and sophisticated people in education in America today." Klein said. "I know every superintendent, every commissioner across the country and he is right at the top of the pack. I think he would be a spectacular commissioner."
The nomination, which Christie’s office would not discuss tonight, ends months of speculation over who will become the state’s top educator. Some believed the job would go to Rochelle Hendricks, a 22-year-veteran of the department who has served as acting commissioner since Schundler’s firing.
Cerf is currently CEO of Sangari Education, a company that provides math and science resources to 500,000 students worldwide.
From 2004 to 2009, he served as deputy New York City schools chancellor, in charge of strategy and innovation, overseeing teacher recruitment and the department’s sometimes strained relationship with the city’s teacher’s union.
One of Cerf’s major accomplishments, Klein said, involved "flipping the system" to empower principals and hold them accountable for students’ learning. Another involved Cerf’s effort to evaluate teachers based on student achievement, one of Christie’s signature education reform proposals, he said.
During his tenure, Cerf also closed 90 failing schools and bolstered the city’s menu of charter school options.
He left the deputy chancellor’s post last year to became senior advisor on education for Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s re-election campaign.
"Mayor Bloomberg is one of the most sophisticated politicans in America and he wanted Chris by his side," Klein said. "It’s always about the two P’s — politics and policy — and Chris has a handle on both of them like few other people I know."
An Illinois native who grew up in Washington, D.C., and Boston, Cerf is a graduate of Amherst College in Massachusetts and the Columbia University Law School. A former history teacher, he serves on advisory boards for TEAM Academy Charter Schools and iCivics, a web-based civics education project started by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, for whom he served as a clerk.
Before joining the public sector in 2004, Cerf was president of Edison Schools Inc., the world’s largest for-profit operator of public schools. He is also a former associate counsel to President Bill Clinton and a former partner at two Washington, D.C., law firms.
One blemish on Cerf’s otherwise robust resume came in 2007, when New York City investigators scolded him for solicting a $60,000 charitable contribution from executives at Edison, who held contracts with the city.
If confirmed, Cerf would take on many of the same issues in New Jersey he dealt with in New York, including tenure reform, merit pay and charter school expansion.
He would also be thrown into the middle of the fight between Christie and the New Jersey Education Association. Christie has argued the NJEA, the state’s largest teachers union, opposes true education reform and is more interested in protecting bad teachers than helping students achieve in the classroom. More recently, Christie has taken on school administrators by capping superintendents’ salaries at $175,000.
Earlier this year, Christie slashed education funding by $820 million, leaving some of the state’s wealthy districts with no aid.
Previous coverage:
• Ex-education chief Schundler openly blames Gov. Christie for Race to the Top loss
• Gov. Christie interviews candidates for N.J. education commissioner
• Former N.J. education commissioners discuss funding, politics at roundtable discussion
• A first for NJEA: Acting N.J. education commissioner declines to speak at convention