Education
czar departs with hopes for state
Thursday, September 08, 2005 •
BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger
Staff
Choked up but never short for words,
William Librera yesterday spent his last day as New Jersey's
education commissioner and spoke not so much about his
achievements but the unfinished business he hopes will carry
on.
Librera left office yesterday after
nearly four years as the state's top education official,
moving next to a $160,000-a-year post at Rutgers University,
where he will head a new public education
institute.
His final day in the Trenton office was
spent mostly at the state board of education's monthly
meeting, where he was presented with a resolution of
appreciation and two standing ovations.
He got some last reminders of the
politics of the job he's leaving, too, but the 59-year-old
Librera mostly kept to his characteristic optimism and
elocution.
"If I was smart, I wouldn't say
anything," Librera said upon the board's reading of its
glowing resolution. "But those who have been around me know
that isn't going to happen."
Appointed by Gov. Jim McGreevey, Librera
was credited with reorganizing the department and launching
changes in how it monitors schools, improvements to teacher
training, and determining student performance. But
unfulfilled were ambitious proposals for remaking how the
state funds education and reforms its neediest schools under
the Abbott v. Burke mandates
"Much of what we have done in the last 3
1/2 years has built upon something that was here before, and
in many cases we have redirected it or perhaps extended it,"
he said. "Now, a true measure of what we've done is what
continues after we've left."
Librera's deputy commissioner, Richard
Rosenberg, moves automatically into the top slot effective
immediately, but it was unclear if he would fill out the
year.
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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