I will protect your pensions. Nothing about your pension is going to change when I am governor. - Chris Christie, "An Open Letter to the Teachers of NJ" October, 2009

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Cerfing USA

More on Cerf from Bill Orr at Blue Jersey:
First Mayor Booker had to find a funder to compensate GEA. The Star Ledger staff by Thursday discovered that GEA's Newark consultancy gig was funded by the Broad Foundation. What I found were ties Cerf had with the Broad Foundation which he has not mentioned publicly. When the Ledger revealed that the work was paid for by a $500,000 grant from Broad, its spokeswoman said she wondered why the grant was kept secret. Perhaps it was kept secret because not only did Cerf have more involvement with GEA than he originally stated, but he also had connections with the Broad Foundation. While Cerf was Deputy Chancellor of NY City Schools the Broad Foundation awarded $2.5 million in grants to  expand charter schools in the city. Cerf's boss Chancellor Joel Klein was effusive in his response: "I want to thank Eli Broad for this generous contribution, which will allow many more families to send their children to these great schools." Joel Klein, as it happens, is also Chair of the Board of Directors of the Broad Center, an educational arm of the foundation. 
So following efforts of Cerf to downplay his role in this Newark Report, it is evident he had a relationship not only with GEA but with Broad, the group which would provide the funds to Mayor Booker to pay GEA. Cerf, of course, was well aware of Broad's support for encouraging more charter schools, and he knew what type of report GEA would produce.

Slicker than a can of Sex Wax - this is how the 'formers ride the wave of privatization.

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