Alliance for Free Choice in Education
973-820-6121 info@allianceforfreechoiceineducation.com

Press Release – January 26, 2012

Contact: Israel Teitelbaum, 973-820-6121

ACTIVISTS PROMOTE UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE BILL

Detailed Report

Approximately 70 school choice advocates came together on January 22, at the Hyatt Hotel in Morristown, to celebrate National School Choice Week. They included political leaders, educators, grass roots activists and concerned parents. This was one of over 370 such events being held across the USA to promote parental choice in education.

The event was sponsored by a host of grass roots advocacy groups from across New Jersey, and organized by former mayor of Highlands, Anna Little, who serves as coordinator for TEA for Education. Assisting in the organizing was Jeffrey Schundler, who heads Alliance for Free Choice in Education, and Nora Craig, founder of Unity 2012, whose mission it is to bring cohesion to the fast growing grass roots movement.

Craig, who served as MC, opened the forum by urging participants to increase their activism. “We cannot blame the politicians if we don’t go out and perform our civic duty, pay attention, vote, talk to our neighbors and be a part of the political process.”

Highlights included addresses by former Commissioner of Education Bret Schundler; Former Secretary’s Regional Representative for US Department of Education Valarie Smith; author of Capitalist Solutions Andrew Bernstein; and three NJ State Republican legislators representing the 25^th Legislative District, who are cosponsoring the NJ Parental Rights Program Act (S504/A1050), the first universal parental choice bill in the nation.

Schundler, who planted the seeds of the school choice movement when he served as mayor of Jersey City from 1992 until 2001, explained the impact school choice will have on parents. “When you give someone the responsibility to do the best for their child, and you empower them to do the best for their child, you are also challenging them to step up to that responsibility and to use that empowerment effectively. You make people better parents. And as people begin to exercise those decisions, and begin to investigate the benefits of those decisions, they get more engaged in their child’s education. There is very little that can be as impactful in student learning than having parents engaged. We do this be giving them more options to make a difference.”

Senator Anthony Bucco, Sr., prime sponsor of the bill, detailed what needs to be done to overcome the opposition. “All of you, along with the rest of your families and friends, need to apply pressure on your individual legislators, both in the Assembly and the Senate, to move this bill. And the threat of not voting for them is a tremendous threat, because everyone wants to be reelected. No one wants to lose.”

Assemblyman Anthony Bucco, Jr., author and prime sponsor of the bill, provided a synopsis. “It provides a voucher across the state to every parent, equal to the lesser of the current tuition or the total of all aid provided in that particular residential district. If there are any savings – when the aid exceeds the cost of tuition – it is required to go back to the residential district as property tax relief.”

Bucco went on to lament, “We, as Americans, have fought and paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms and liberties that we enjoy. Yet, for some reason, we are not able to provide our parents the fundamental right to send their children to the school of their choice.”

Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll, cosponsor of the bill, relayed a comment from his father, who runs the Quinnipiac Poll. “It is his business to keep his finger on the pulse of the people. Listening to the speeches recently given by Governor Chris Christie, here in New Jersey and Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York, my father observed that, in significant measure, the music might have been subtly different, but the lyrics were somewhat interchangeable. Both men, one a conservative Republican, the other a fairly standard issue liberal Democrat, realized that the teachers unions have become the single biggest impediment to educational reform.”

James Bridge, a high school teacher and founder of Hear Us Now USA, told of his decades of experience in the dumbing down of students. “The two largest culprits for the failure of education in New Jersey, in my opinion, are politicians and education gurus, both of whom never seem to take ownership of the disaster they have brought. They tell us that children inherently know what they need to learn. They tell us this in seminars.”

Richard Nodine, executive director of New Jersey Conservative Party-USA, gave his perspective. “We believe we find ourselves in the crossroads of history. What I have witnessed over the past couple of decades is the absolute neglect of children by our elected officials, with the New Jersey educational system leading the way. I also believe that today’s children are America’s most precious resource. They are worth fighting for. It’s a fact; a strong education is the foundation for an individual to attain independence and prosper in their pursuit of happiness.” He reported that the Conservative Party of NJ has made this a priority and urged that we all work together to break down the barriers that prevent improved education.

Valarie Smith debunked some long held myths. “One of the big arguments against school choice is separation of church and state. That is no longer an argument. Last April, the U.S. Supreme Court emphatically stated there is no connection between church and state and vouchers. The reason is because the parent makes the decision as to where the child is to go to school. So it’s not government funding going directly to a school.”

Smith also pointed to another recent ruling by the Supreme Court that should end the claim that vouchers are an invitation for government to, “come in and tell us how we can run our schools and what we are allowed to do. … The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously last week that government cannot intervene in decisions of religious schools regarding the employment of ministers. This is no longer a fear.”

Professor Andrew Bernstein, author of Capitalist Solutions, debunked the myth that prior to government run schools there was massive illiteracy in this country. “That is a canard. … Prior to the mid-nineteenth century, government schools did not exist in America. All schools were private and education was widespread and outstanding. For example in the middle Atlantic colonies, during the revolutionary period, professional educators established numerous schools to satisfy the demand for education. Philadelphia boasted schools for every subject and interest. Between 1740 and 1776, more 125 private school masters advertised their services in the city’s newspapers; this in a town whose population was miniscule relative to today. Professional educators provided mentoring services in English, foreign languages, science and a wide variety of other topics. Children who grew to be such brilliant scientists, writers and statesman as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, received their education at home or at private schools.”

Bernstein went on to provide overwhelming documentary evidence that the predominant level of education, prior to the advent of public schools, far surpassed that of today. “Predictably, the education results of such a free educational market were superb.”

Victoria A. Jakelsky, New Jersey coordinator of parentalrights.org, spoke of the need to support the bill, and also a constitutional amendment to bring back the rights of parents to decide how the raise their children - with their religious and educational standards - and to assure that the government could not come and take those rights away. “Right now, parents’ right to decide how to bring up and educate their children is a fundamental, but an implied right, not guaranteed by the United States Constitution. If we do nothing about this, the courts and the laws eventually erase those rights, which is already happening with traditional marriage and parental rights.” Petitions for this amendment can be submitted at the parentalrights.org website.

Nathan Brinkman, vice president of Choice Media TV, told of his having just come from New Orleans, where they had a school choice kick-off event attended by about 2,500 people. “New Orleans has a dramatic turn-around story. They were known for their notoriously politically corrupt culture and under-performing schools. Like many urban school districts, the system was set up more to serve the needs of the adults than the needs of the children. After the tragic horror and devastation of Katrina, they had to literally rebuild their district from scratch, from the ground up. They emphasized choice and flexibility coupled with accountability. It’s become – in my opinion and in the opinion of many policy experts – a veritable model for the nation. Today, according to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, about 80 percent of children are now in charter schools, and there are children in parochial schools beyond that. The traditional one-size-fits-all model has been shattered in New Orleans.”

Kim Chorba, founder of Women’s Advocacy Institute of America, appealed to the women of New Jersey to become active in the cause. “Sadly, the voices of the mothers of those children who will benefit the most from this legislation are not being heard. The WAIA asks you to join us in reaching out to these women in order to mobilize a grass roots effort to send a message to Trenton that the women of this state will not tolerate the quality of a child’s education be determined by his or her zip code.”

Doreen Finkle, founder of Campus Tea Parties, shared her experience in building a conservative movement under most difficult circumstances. “We go out to the campus. We put some boots on the ground and we’ll start talking to the students.” She went on to introduce two fellow campus workers, who briefly reported on their activities on 22 of New Jersey’s 75 campuses, with plans to reach out to those remaining.

David White, New Jersey representative for CORE of New Jersey, emphasized the importance of approaching school choice as a civil rights issue. “We all believe that parental choice, and the right of our children to have a proper education, is the biggest civil rights challenge of the century.”

Anna Little, New Jersey Coordinator for TEA for Education, a national organization dedicated to parental choice for every child in the nation, thanked everyone for joining in the effort. “It is one of the most important things you can do with your time, to stand for freedom in education, freedom for our young people to have the opportunity to live the American dream. It’s the foundation of our country. It’s that important.”

Little went on to outline what’s required to make school choice a reality. “Each and every one of us has the opportunity, within our own social network – friends, family, coworkers – to talk about this very important issue. We cannot keep quiet about our value system anymore. … You have such strength in the words that you would choose to share with your neighbors. Even if they do not immediately agree with you, I guarantee you they will not forget that you mentioned it and what you said. And that’s your goal – the most important goal that you can have.”

She also spoke of the importance of hosting meetings, whether in the home or elsewhere. “Meetings are very important. It means you are reaching more than one person at a time.” She invited folks to contact her for help with speakers or related materials, including videos, such as The Cartel.

At the close of the celebration, Paul Lund, math and science teacher at St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey read a resolution to, "do all that we can to publicize, promote and encourage the sponsorship, passage and signing of legislation that will extend parental choice in education to every K-12 child in all 50 states, and federal legislation that would extend parental choice in education to every K-12 child in the District of Columbia and U.S. Army bases."

Following the event, reports appeared in the Morris County Daily Record, Morristown Patch and the Education News and Information.

Detailed information on the national campaign, including a petition drive, is available at the website of National School Choice Week.
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Photo by Michael Livshin [PLEASE CREDIT]

(l to r) Assemblyman Anthony Bucco, Jr., Senator Anthony Bucco, Sr., Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll, Mayor Bret Schundler and Mayor Anna Little.

Hi Friends,

Governor Christie lends his weight to School Choice Week in the Executive Resolution (See Governors message below). Every bit helps.

Yesterdays event at the Hyatt in Morristown was marvelous. Thank you to Israel Teitelbaum of Alliance for School Choice and Anna Little, NJ Coordinator forTea 4 Education for hosting an event where New Jersey's School Choice activists could meet.

Bret Schundler reminded us all that some things are worth fighting for, for a long time. Those who opposed slavery fought for decades before succeeding in liberating all Americans. We too should be very proud to be part of the movement fighting now to free our children from enslavement in failing schools. The movement is growing. A slow boil that soon will overcome the opposition of self serving adults who PREVENT our children from realizing their potential.

Senator A. Bucco Sr, Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll and Assemblyman A. Bucco, Jr, spoke on elements of legislation now in play in the State Legislature. We need the voices of all activists to keep calling their representatives to urge passage of The Opportunity Scholarship Act, and the Parental Rights Program Act so we can FINALLY get voucher programs going. The GOP minority cannot get this job done without our help. So lean on your Democrat representatives, early and often. Many of the audience participated in the Q & A session with the Legislators and Brett Schundler.

Andrew Bernstein Author, Capitalist Solutions spoke on how successful education was in America BEFORE we allowed Government Schools to put the private education system out of business. He urges us all to CEASE calling our schools "Public Schools" and begin to call them what they are Government Schools. For more on the hows and whys of private education economics everyone's encouraged to read his books, available on Amazon.

Many other organization leaders, and event sponsors, spoke on what their organizations were doing to forward the movement. It is so rewarding, and comforting to know these fine folk are out pushing as hard as they can to move School Choice forward.

The event was filmed and will be distributed when ready. We can all share the words of all the fine speakers with others in our social networks. Spread the word. The more groups working on the project the faster we can push this cart up the hill. <grin>

THANK YOU! To all participants, and attendees. Events like these are marvelous networking opportunities, and lots of fun, too.

Hugs to all.

Nora Craig

2012 Unity

856-237-5825

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Governor Chris Christie Designates Week of January 22rd, 2012 School Choice Week in New Jersey

Trenton, NJ – Continuing New Jersey’s leadership in a nationwide movement to provide high-quality education options for every child, Governor Chris Christie today signed a proclamation designating January 22 - 28, 2012 as School Choice Week in New Jersey for the second consecutive year.

“Every child, no matter what their zip code, deserves a quality education. With more than 100,000 children trapped in nearly 200 chronically failing schools in New Jersey, the need for education reform has never been greater,” said Governor Chris Christie. “From expanded charter school alternatives to renaissance schools, this Administration is delivering effective educational choices to bring hope and the opportunity for a brighter future to students and their families. I urge the Legislature to join me by acting on other key elements of our aggressive education reform agenda to make these goals a reality.”

In states across the country, parents and advocates for real education reform are standing up to during National School Choice Week to bring attention to the need for effective educational options for every child, regardless of their zip code or economic circumstances.

Governor Christie has made a reform agenda aimed at bringing a great education to every student a top priority of his Administration, and already secured several key achievements to provide more options for children and families trapped in failing schools:

Currently, 80 charter schools operate in New Jersey, serving approximately 26,500 children;

In Fall 2010, Governor Christie signed into law and has aggressively implemented the Interdistrict Public School Choice bill;

www.nj.gov/governor/

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