A delegation representing the OC/OS campaign met with Commissioner Lucille Davy on April 10 to discuss her "reorganization" of the Department of Education and related matters. It was the beginning of what OC/OS hopes will be extended dialogue with the Commissioner about the NJDOE’s central role in improving educational programs and accountability throughout the state.

The Commissioner agreed to meet after OC/OS sent a letter raising several concerns about her plan to reorganize the Department and dissolve the Abbott Division before completing an external review of the DOE ordered by the NJ legislature. Representing member organizations of OC/OS were Dennis Brunn, Statewide Education Organizing Committee; Rosie Grant, Paterson Education Fund; Susan Gubar, BlueWaveNJ; Jerry Harris, NJ Black Issues Convention; Lesley Hirsch, Education Law Center; Thomas Puryear, NAACP of the Oranges and Maplewood; Cynthia Rice, Association for Children of NJ; Daniel Santo Pietro, Hispanic Directors Association of NJ; and Kathleen Witcher, NAACP State Conference, NAACP-Irvington. Representing the state were Commissioner Lucille Davy; Donna Arons, Special Assistant to the Commissioner; Jessica deKoninck, Director of Legislative Services, NJDOE; and Fruqan Mouzun, Assistant Counsel to the Governor.

The conversation focused on the reasoning behind the reorganization and how it would affect the Department’s capacity to improve state and district accountability and raise student achievement. For the most part, the Commissioner defended the administrative reshuffling as a way to improve the integration of related activities and enhance communication within the Department. Although Davy herself played a central role in the formation of the Abbott Division in 2002 when she was the education counsel to Governor Jim McGreevy, she now says it was a misstep that fragmented and marginalized Abbott programs. "The Department wants to break down Abbott v. non-Abbott walls," she said. The Abbott Division has been replaced by an Office of Abbott Services under the new Division of District and School Improvement. Assistant Commissioner Penelope Lattimer heads the new division and James McBee, a veteran DOE education specialist and administrator will head the new Office of Abbott Services.

The Commissioner declined to discuss in detail the upcoming external evaluation ordered by the NJ legislature. In April, bids for conducting the evaluation were solicited in response to Joint Resolution No. 3 signed into law by Governor Corzine on January 29th. The law requires the Commissioner to contract with an "independent entity" to undertake a "thorough and comprehensive evaluation of the Department" to identify "organizational and staffing deficiencies" and recommend ways to improve the agency’s capacity to provide oversight of school districts, and effectively respond to both "operational and educational issues." The law requires the evaluation be completed within six months.

However, the Commissioner’s request for bids indicates that the "management audit" will "focus" only on the Department’s activities related to monitoring school district compliance with state and federal laws. It does not appear that the "audit" will evaluate other critical NJDOE core areas and functions – such as policy development, state academic standards and testing, school finance, school facilities, the Abbott mandates, special education, research and evaluation, assisting struggling schools and districts, and administering the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The Legislature’s dissatisfaction with the Department’s performance in these areas, and with its ability to assist schools and districts as well as "monitor" them, was a major reason for the resolution. It was also why the joint resolution specified an independent external evaluation instead of the internal review originally proposed by the Commissioner.

In response to OC/OS members’ questions, the Commissioner said she did not think the joint resolution required a "top-to-bottom" review of the Department’s activities and she declined an OC/OS offer to return to the legislature to seek additional time for a more complete review. At this writing, the contract for the evaluation has not been made public.

The meeting ended with OC/OS requesting follow up meetings with appropriate DOE personnel on specific issues including pre-K and early childhood issues, facilities, Abbott services and regulations, and secondary reform among others. The Commissioner expressed a willingness to respond to such requests. OC/OS’ minutes of the April 10 meeting with the Commissioner may be downloaded here.

Prepared: May 8, 2007