Exclusive: Christie said Schundler was never empowered to negotiate away key points of governor's education agenda
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Clik here to view.Education Commissioner Bret Schundler, left, with Gov. Chris Christie.
TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie continued to publicly criticize his own education commissioner today, ignoring the teachers’ union’s claim that he is undermining the credibility of one of the state’s most important officers.
The governor also renewed his attacks on New Jersey Education Association, and said he doesn’t believe his rejection of an agreement worked out by Commissioner Bret Schundler and the union will endanger the state’s application for up to $400 million in federal school funding.
“I made the choice to be bold,” Christie said, “not only because I want it to be successful but it’s because that’s what I agree with.”
But Christie said the deal Schundler worked out with the teachers last Thursday was one-way in favor of the NJEA. “That’s why I rejected it.”
Christie made his comments a day after publicly scolding Schundler for agreeing to compromises on teacher tenure and merit pay - which were to be part of the application for $400,000 in Race to the Top funding from the Obama administration.
During an exclusive interview, Christie said Schundler was never empowered to negotiate away key provisions of the governor’s education agenda and any impression to the contrary was wrong. The governor said the deal Schundler reached with the union did nothing but cave in to the NJEA and gut his plan for improving state schools. Christie said he heard Thursday night that an accord had been reached but knew no details.“I did not hear any of the specifics of what Bret suggested we agree to until Friday morning. I called him and told him that was unacceptable to me,” the governor said.
Asked whether he had any intention of firing Schundler, the governor said he did not.
“There’s nothing subtle about me, okay,” Chrstie said. “So if I wanted to ask Bret Schundler for his resignation, I would have. I didn’t. We had a very candid talk (Tuesday) about the entire situation. I think Bret and I have an understanding on how communication has to happen from here. I don’t expect we’ll have a problem again. I want him to stay.”
The disagreement between Christie and Schundler sets the stage for today’s action in Trenton. Schundler is scheduled to go before the Senate Education Committee and is planning to answer reporters’ questions on the application. He has declined to comment on the funding application since Tuesday.
NJEA spokesman Steve Wollmer said Schundler “has certainly been damaged by this. He was sent in to negotiate and he reached an agreement, and the rug was pulled out from under him.”
Wollmer said the NJEA is stunned at what has gone on the last two days. “In the first phase, we were blamed because we didn’t sign on...Now he’s saying they don’t need our support. Their tune changes faster than the weather. They can’t come back and blame us for not signing on, we did sign on. They took our names off of it.”
At issue is the second round of funding available through President Obama’s competitive grant program, designed to reward states for aggressive and new approaches to improving schools. New Jersey filed a first-round application in January, but failed, while Delaware received $100 million and Tennessee got $500 million. Up to 15 states are likely to win funding out 36 that applied.
The state hand-delivered its application Tuesday.
Christie has been battling the NJEA since last year’s nasty gubernatorial campaign when the union backed Gov. Jon Corzine aggressively. So when news of a deal was announced last week it was welcomed as a sign that peace had been reached between the two sides.
Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy, a Washington think tank, said the political scuffle in Trenton probably would have no effect on New Jersey’s application but losing the NJEA’s endorsement could.
"It’s not as if they’re going to deduct 10 points because the governor had a nasty clash with the union," Jennings said. "It’s all a matter of how many points you gain for each element of the application. By not agreeing with the teachers union, the state is losing points. Then again, its comparative. You have to know what’s in all 36 applications (from other competing states)."
By Josh Margolin /Statehouse Bureau and Jeanette Rundquist/Star-Ledger