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The Screaming Hypocrisy of Chris Christie

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie really does not care if he gets caught in his contradictions or not:

Gov. Christie says the state could intervene in the day-to-day affairs of the Camden school system within six to eight weeks, depending on how quickly the legal process moves.

Under the state-run system, the school board will have an advisory role, and the state will choose a new schools superintendent.

Christie, the father of four school-age children, expressed what he described as an obligation to get involved in the Camden district at a press conference today at Woodrow Wilson High School.

"I don't want anything worse for the children of this city or any other city in the state of New Jersey than I would want for my own children," he said. [emphasis mine]

And what, exactly, does he want for his own children?

Chris Christie sends his sons to the Delbarton School:

The course of study offers preparation in all major academic subjects and a number of electives.

The studies are intended to help a boy shape a thought and sentence, to speak clearly about ideas and effectively about feelings, and to seek relevant facts in making judgments.

The faculty, many of whom hold higher degrees in field, consists of 80 men and women. And because the average class size is 15 and student-teacher ratio 7:1, the learning environment at Delbarton is designed to be intimate and challenging. [emphasis mine]

Tuition:

Tuition for the 2011-12 academic year is $27,800.00. Tuition is all-inclusive and covers such items as a daily hot lunch, technology costs, and activity fees.

Actual costs per student:

Delbarton Fund contributions are used to support technology upgrades, athletic fields and facilities, service projects, financial aid for worthy students, and maintenance of the campus, among others. Fundraising as a whole covers 10% of the annual budget, or approximately $1,900 of each student's tuition. [emphasis mine]

That was a year ago, so who knows what the per pupil spending is now. Certainly well over $30K, I have to imagine. But here's Christie today on Camden's spending:

While saying some Camden leaders and educators truly care, Gov. Christie asserts "the system is broken" in announcing the takeover of the Camden school district this morning.

He said a thorough evaluation of the district last summer convinced him there was no other choice.

"Just because we can't guarantee a positive result or we have had mixed results in the past, is not an excuse for inaction," Christie said.

"This is not about money' the governor stressed, saying that the Camden district received $280 million in the most recent annual budget. [emphasis mine]

Lord knows it's very difficult to get a straight answer on per pupil spending in this state, but the NJDOE's "report card" for Camden set it at about $22K.

If Chris Christie doesn't want "anything worse for the children of this city or any other city in the state of New Jersey than I would want for my own children," he needs to come up with at least $8,000 more for every child in Camden to spend on schools.

Maybe then those kids can enjoy a "... faculty, many of whom hold higher degrees in field..." and an"...average class size [of] 15 and student-teacher ratio 7:1...".

Oh, and no standardized tests. And athletic fields so big you can land a helicopter on them.

What do you think Christie's response will be when someone asks him about this screaming hypocrisy?

Get used to it, Camden: this is the level of "accountability" you're in for now that Chris Christie runs your schools.

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Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman is the pseudonym for Mark Weber, a New Jersey public school teacher and parent. He is the Special Analyst for Education Policy at the New Jersey Po...