newjerseynewsroom.com

State Senator says Rochelle Hendricks missed chance to talk directly to teachers by skipping NJEA convention

New Jersey state Sen. Richard J. Codey (D-Essex) Thursday criticized state Acting Education Commissioner Rochelle Hendricks' decision to skip this week's teachers' union convention in Atlantic City, saying the she and the Christie administration are missing the opportunity to take their agenda for improving public education in New Jersey directly to teachers.

Hendricks informed New Jersey Education Association President Barbara Keshishian via email on Monday that she would not be attending the convention Thursday and Friday because union leaders oppose Christie's proposals. It marks the first time in 156 years the state education commissioner has declined to attend.

"If the administration's problem isn't with teachers but with the union leadership, as has been stated many times before, then skipping the teachers' convention sends the completely opposite message," Codey said. "With thousands of educators in Atlantic City, the administration has a once-a-year chance to talk past the union leadership it despises and directly to the teachers it claims to support. This could have been their chance to talk directly to the people who stand in front of the classroom, many of whom voted for the governor, and make them their agents for change.

"I'm sure not every governor has had the support of the NJEA, but that didn't stop them from reaching out directly to the teachers at the convention," Codey said. "If the administration thinks it has a solid case for reform that is being stopped at NJEA headquarters, then the smart move would be to have the commissioner take it directly to the rank and file. And if teachers believe that there is merit in the governor's education agenda, they will force their union leaders to take a seat at the table."

— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM