Newark Superintendent Clifford Janey on Tenure:

Tenure comes too easily. There’s a burden of proof that hasn’t been considered for one’s worthiness to be considered for tenure. Teachers are tenured after three years, but it should be after five years, at a minimum, and there has to be a set of rigorous standards throughout that five-year period, established not just by me but with others in the district, including the teachers union.

From Q & A with Star-Ledger

New Assembly Bill Bans Fees for Extra-Curricular Activities:

Not all districts do it, but it’s a growing trend as schools look for ways to cover deficits. Typically, a district will charge, say, $100 to participate in a sport, with a bye for low-income kids and a family cap. But a bill sponsored by Assemblymen John Burzichelli (D-Salem, Cumberland and Gloucester), Gary Schaer (D-Bergen, Essex and Passaic) and Assemblywoman Joan Voss (D-Bergen) would prohibit the practice. Look for schools to squeal. The Princeton Packet quotes Michael Vrancik, New Jersey School Boards Association director of government relations, who testified against the bill, calling it “unnecessary legislation that codifies practices that are, for the most part, in effect in school districts already.”

Fred Snowflack of the Daily Record charitably explains why the NJEA supports the status quo in New Jersey.

New Charter in Cumberland County:

Vineland Public Charter School has just opened, serving 108 kids from K-2nd grade from Vineland and Millville. How’s it different from the traditional elementary schools? It’s got a 200-day school year and runs a longer day, from 8 – 4. Oh — it’s also cheaper. While local districts are griping because they have to send about $7-8K per pupil to Vineland Charter, according to the Daily Journal, the cost per elementary school pupil in Vineland Public School District is $16,746. How’s this work again?