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 Aug. 13, 2009
Could school choice and education reform be the issue that shakes loose some traditional Democratic constituencies?
Both independent Chris Daggett and Republican Chris Christie clearly think so.
Both have come out for school choice, vouchers and more charter schools. Daggett goes farther and wants to abolish tenure.
That puts the two candidates in the same camp as a group of urban parents, politicians and ministers who are fighting for better education in city schools. It also puts them at odds with the NJEA and Gov. Corzine, who oppose school choice.
Christie has made a real push for the urban education vote, going to cities to highlight his proposal.
But with Daggett going even further than Christie by advocating an end to tenure, does that give Democrats who might be reluctant to support a Republican somewhere else to go?
And if that happens, does that keep down Corzine’s numbers in key counties like Hudson, Essex or Camden?
In aligning himself with the NJEA, and against school reformers, Corzine has put himself at odds with some key Democrats. As the New York Times noted in a June article about Christie's school choice campaign:
Democrats who have broken with the union include Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark; Raymond J. Lesniak, an influential state senator from Elizabeth; Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, the party’s state chairman; George E. Norcross III, a South Jersey power broker; the Rev. Reginald T. Jackson, longtime head of the Black Ministers’ Council; and Martín Pérez, founder of the Latino Leadership Alliance, an umbrella for dozens of groups and hundreds of churches.
They have joined with conservatives to push for a voucher program in the eight cities in the state that have the worst schools. Their pet bill would let businesses direct part of their state taxes to scholarships for needy students in those areas to attend private or parochial schools.
Recent polls have shown that Corzine’s support among minority voters is weak. And with school reform among the top concerns of the Black Ministers Council and the Latino Leadership Alliance, what happens if they decide to sit out the race, or throw their support to one of the challengers?
In addition to being supportive of Christie’s proposals, both groups praised Daggett’s education plan in an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer
Patricia Bombelyn, cochair of the education committee of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey, said that while the group has not endorsed a gubernatorial candidate, "we do commend Daggett for adopting an education platform that embraces these types of reform and advances in the interest of bringing children to the forefront."
The Rev. Reginald Jackson, executive director of the Black Ministers' Council of New Jersey, said he would support Daggett's version of school choice. "I have no problem with the money following the student to the other school," he said.
Christie, who had been praised by the Latino Leadership Alliance in the past, reportedly angered group leaders with his choice of Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno, who has supported immigration enforcement.
That could give an opening to Daggett, who could use a high profile endorsement to increase his standings in the poll.
But even if neither group endorses, their separation from Corzine could well seal his fate. And if Corzine loses, does that lessen the clout of the NJEA?
It’s just one of the issues to watch between now and Election Day.
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