The Debate Over Tenure

What a difference a couple of weeks can make. We headed into February with fears that this would be a winter that would never end and predictions of more big storms. However so far February has been quiet, most of the snow that’s been on the ground since December 26th has finally melted, and it will feel more like spring than winter today and tomorrow. Before you put your shovels away I would like to remind you that last year’s biggest snowstorm came on February 25th so we are not out of the woods just yet.

The debate continues in Trenton and throughout New Jersey on the issue of teacher tenure. Governor Christie’s new Education Commissioner believes a new system is needed but Christopher Cerf did not emphatically say that tenure should be abolished. It appears we are headed for a real battle on what has become a heated issue as the New Jersey Education Association is opposed to anything which does away with tenure. In a speech yesterday Cerf said only 17 teachers in the state have lost their jobs in the last 10 years for incompetence. This issue is a very emotional one and I understand to some extent how both sides feel but it does seem that at the very least we need an easier way to remove those tenured teachers who are not doing a good job in the classroom. I am opposed to test scores being the barometer but no profession should have job security just because they have done it for a period of time. If the public sector worked that way everything would decline in a rapid manner.

It’s been an up and down basketball season for the University of Denver where former Toms River East standout Joe Scott is in his fourth season as head coach.
The Pioneers lost six of their first seven games but have rebounded after that rough start and take a 12-13 record into tonight’s home game against Louisiana-Monroe.
More importantly Denver is tied with Arkansas State for first place in the Sun Belt West with an 8-4 conference record. Scott, who previously served as head coach at Air Force and his alma mater Princeton was a three-sport standout at East and remains the Raiders all-time leading basketball scorer with over 1500 career points.