CAMDEN — The graduation ceremony for an informal alternative school in Camden today brought together a pair of key New Jersey political adversaries in Republican Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic powerbroker George Norcross. Christie, brash and outspoken, and Norcross, who is said to have immense power among lawmakers though he usually stays in the shadows when it comes to...
Democratic powerbroker George Norcross, left in this file photo, says he will open a number of charter schools in Camden.CAMDEN — The graduation ceremony for an informal alternative school in Camden today brought together a pair of key New Jersey political adversaries in Republican Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic powerbroker George Norcross.
Christie, brash and outspoken, and Norcross, who is said to have immense power among lawmakers though he usually stays in the shadows when it comes to political issues, connected over a common interest: Increasing the educational options for children in the state's underperforming school districts.
Norcross, executive chairman of the insurance firm Connor Strong & Buckelew, announced that he would help launch several charter schools in Camden, a city of about 80,000 residents that ranks among the nation's poorest and most crime-ridden.
He urged lawmakers to pass a bill within the next 30 days that would offer state tax credits to businesses in exchange for funding scholarships to send children from a handful of low-performing districts to other public or private schools.
The schools would get public money and would have support from the foundations of Norcross' family and Cooper University Hospital, where he's chairman of the board. He didn't offer other details about how many schools there would be or how they would be run.
While the bill has the support of both Democrats and Republicans in the state Legislature, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, D-Newark, won't let it advance in the Assembly. The state's main teachers unions also oppose it, saying the bill would divert money from public schools that need it.
The public schools in places like Camden are broken, Norcross said.
"I'm not so sure that you can reform something that is so lost," he said.
That's an area where Christie and Norcross agree.
The Camden Education Resource Network, which offers classes to dropouts, has become one of New Jersey's main symbols of the problems in public schools for Christie. His acting education commissioner, Chris Cerf, was also at today's commencement. Christie attended a similar ceremony two years ago when he was running for governor.
The school doesn't have public funding and doesn't offer diplomas that are recognized by the state. But some private career schools do take graduates, and Camden County College accepts them as long as they pass entrance exams.
Student speakers talked about years of selling or using drugs, being sent to prison, dropping out of public schools or just not learning much there.
One of the several student speakers was Ebony Kellum, who spoke with two other graduates by her side — husband David Kellum and son Lawrence Brown.
She said she wanted something better for her son as he was struggling at Camden High School and found the alternative. "I looked at my husband and said, 'If he's out there (taking classes at the school), we need to do it, too,'" she said. "I'm proud to be standing with my son."
Now, Brown is hoping to join the Army, David Kellum wants to enroll in a culinary program and Ebony Kellum hopes to go to nursing school.
"I want you all to be among the last people to go through what you're going through," Christie told a group of just over 100 graduates.
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