tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9025948832913694345.post2157714695582699813..comments2024-03-22T02:15:56.280-07:00Comments on Jersey Jazzman: Chris Cerf's Late Conversion On School Funding and TestingDukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16535645107179796099noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9025948832913694345.post-1648707938799284382016-08-25T09:10:14.629-07:002016-08-25T09:10:14.629-07:00If Cerf is actually making sense and contradicting...If Cerf is actually making sense and contradicting clueless politicians that appointed him, he might not get another such appointment.Rebecca deCocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168718846105012814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9025948832913694345.post-72847072840828346152016-08-23T19:44:09.705-07:002016-08-23T19:44:09.705-07:00Jeff, you are way too nice here.
Chris Cerf stood...Jeff, you are way too nice here.<br /><br />Chris Cerf stood by Christie's side as he underfunded the entire system year after year. His job was to justify the aid cuts across the state by saying the "real" problem was tenure, not enough charters, teacher evaluation, the NJEA, etc.<br /><br />Cerf never knew what it was like to try to educate kids when the governor kept slamming your district while simultaneously cutting your funding. Well...<br /><br />Welcome to the party, pal.Dukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16535645107179796099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9025948832913694345.post-86841734743921304672016-08-23T18:54:57.581-07:002016-08-23T18:54:57.581-07:00To clarify, there isn't an either/or dichotomy...To clarify, there isn't an either/or dichotomy. Someone can have a middle of the road perspective. That's where Cerf is. <br /><br />Cerf would agree with you that $8 k per student in Newark would be cataclysmic, but $21k per student (which is SFRA/Abbott) is excessive.StateAidGuyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00346914457455404884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9025948832913694345.post-51032203824247912902016-08-23T18:52:17.184-07:002016-08-23T18:52:17.184-07:00You are creating this either/or dichotomy where so...You are creating this either/or dichotomy where someone has to either support Abbott-in-Full (with $20k per student Adequacy Budgets) or Christie's so-called "Fairness Formula."<br /><br />As Commissioner of Education Cerf believed that the aid targets for high-FRL districts were too high and he tried to lower Adequacy Budgets, but he never said that every district should get the same amount of aid. In 2011-12 to 2013-14, when Cerf rebuilt aid from 2010, Cerf followed progressive principles and gave more money to under-Adequacy districts. In fact, Cerf was way in front of everyone else in condemning Adjustment Aid in 2012-13 actually redistributed over $40 million.<br /><br />Flash forward a few years and Cerf is in charge of the Newark schools. Due to flat state aid, minimal increases in local taxes, and transfers to charters, Newark's budget per pupil is lower than where Cerf wanted it to be back in 2012. <br /><br />Has Cerf changed somewhat? Maybe. But there's no massive change.<br /><br />I also haven't seen Cerf make an argument that Newark and "urban" poor districts (ie, Abbotts) should be NJ's aid priority. I haven't seen Cerf suggest anything in the way that Newark should take priority in state aid over Atlantic City, Dover, Belleville, Bound Brook, Prospect Park etc. StateAidGuyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00346914457455404884noreply@blogger.com