Librera
leaving to mixed reviews
Education chief will be joining
Rutgers after a tenure of testing and No Child Left
Behind
Friday, July 29, 2005 • BY JOHN MOONEY •
Star-Ledger Staff
As New Jersey Education Commissioner
William Librera steps down from the post next month, he
leaves behind a record of accomplishments but also dashed
expectations.
Librera said yesterday he would resign
effective Sept. 7, to take an unspecified position at
Rutgers University's Graduate School of Education and help
the school forge closer ties to the public schools he's
directed since 2002.
In his nearly four years in the job,
Librera, 59, left a imprint in New Jersey schools with
changes -- popular and not -- to high schools, urban school
reform, state testing, and the implementation of the federal
No Child Left Behind Act.
A teacher and administrator of more than
30 years, Librera was nevertheless seen as an educator's
commissioner.
"I would like to be remembered as a
person who was a clear spokesman for teachers, for the
importance of school leadership, and for the advancement of
teaching and learning," he said yesterday.
His departure had been expected,
especially with the upcoming election of a new governor
almost certain to bring in his own choice for the
high-profile education post.
Acting Gov. Richard Codey's office would
not say yesterday who would succeed Librera for the
remainder of the year. A high-ranking official this month
said Deputy Commissioner Richard Rosenberg would serve as
acting commissioner, although Codey's spokeswoman yesterday
denied a decision has been made.
There was also speculation yesterday on
who might fill permanently fill the post under either
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jon Corzine or Republican
Doug Forrester.
Among those widely mentioned as a
possible contender in a Corzine administration is Librera's
assistant commissioner Gordon MacInnes. Corzine's campaign
also denied yesterday that any discussions had been
held.
Librera, a former teacher and
administrator in Montclair and Bernardsville, was personally
liked and respected among the district leadership that he
now regulates. Smart and affable, he was viewed, since his
appointment by former Gov. Jim McGreevey, as one of public
education's own.
"That local experience always showed
through," said Edwina M. Lee, executive director of the New
Jersey School Boards Association. "While we have not agreed
with every one of his decisions, we always found him willing
to listen."
Among policy changes, he launched several
programs to improve high schools, and rewrote the rules for
teacher certification and state monitoring. There was always
a trust that Librera would include and respect districts in
his decisions.
"Let's hope whoever takes his place has
that kind of trust and that kind of charisma that will get
people working together," said Walter Mahler, superintendent
for Bridgewater-Raritan schools.
One of his main tasks was directing the
state through the implementation of the sweeping No Child
Left Behind Act across 600-plus districts, including vast
new testing requirements. At the same time, he led an
ongoing effort to replace the state's controversial
alternative high school test.
Librera said he felt he and his staff
left public schools better off than when he
arrived.
"When I came, I said then that I thought
the state of New Jersey schools was good," he said. "I think
it has improved, but there is still more work that has to be
done."
Those shortcomings may dominate Librera's
legacy, some said.
His tenure was hindered by difficult
fiscal times that not only decimated the department's
staffing but limited the scope of any broader changes he
hoped to accomplish.
For instance, as part of a 21-point
education agenda presented by McGreevey in his first year,
Librera said early on that improvements to the state's
funding system would be priority. He helped convene a task
force to devise a new formula.
But the effort died on McGreevey's desk,
and the commissioner himself said that was one regret of his
four years.
"I understand better now than when I
arrived how complicated these matters are, how
time-consuming change becomes, even under the best of
circumstances," he said.
In the meantime, McGreevey and then Codey
also imposed new restrictions on school spending and
revenues that has been criticized by many local districts as
punitive and severe. Librera was never a leader in those
legislative changes, but also was not seen as fighting on
behalf of the schools.
"We heard empathy from the department,
but the follow through was never there," said Lynne
Strickland, director of the Garden State Coalition of
Schools, a suburban school organization.
The state's efforts on behalf of its
poorest districts reflected that mixed record.
Since 1998, the state has been under the
Abbott v. Burke court order to provide vast new money and
programs to its neediest districts, and Librera made big
strides in boosting universal preschool and school
construction. Recent test scores in the Abbott districts
have provided some of the most promising signs to
date.
Yet his department and, especially
MacInness, who oversaw the Abbott programs, was often at
odds with the Abbott districts, ending back in court to
debate funding and regulations.
Marion Bolden, superintendent of Newark
schools, had her share of bumpy times with Librera around
Abbott as well as her own re-appointment to the state-run
district. Nevertheless she said she never questioned his
intentions.
"He was sensitive to the things
superintendents encounter every day," she said. "What I like
is that he would try to resolve issues so that they were
win-win. Hopefully when we do have a replacement, we do have
someone who will listen. That doesn't always
happen."
Star-Ledger reporter Bev McCarron contributed to this
article. John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at
jmooney@starledger.com, or 973-392-1548.
© 2005 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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