What NJEA has been doing to fight Chris Christie’s attacks on public education:
Research-based plan of action
• January tracking poll
• February Focus groups
• February Statewide message poll
• April member poll
• April statewide voter poll
Internal Communication – what we’re doing with our members
• Campaign: Keep the Promise
• NJEA.org – separate page just on the Keep the Promise campaign
• Detailed summary analysis of the pension and benefit bills
• Detailed Q&A on the bills to answer every possible question
• Chart with the history of pension funding
• 3-minute “Keep the Promise” video that explains how the state failed to maintain their end of the agreement.
• We continue to inform our members via their Field Reps, njea.org, NJEA News Service, and by email of what NJEA is doing to fight back.
• NJEA Review magazine has an April cover story, “What happens in Trenton doesn’t stay in Trenton: the impact of politics in your classroom” that details the issues and NJEA’s talking points. The Review also has included editorials and “Presidents Message” pieces detailing Christie’s attacks on public education and NJEA.
• NJEA Reporter has been at the forefront of our effort to communicate Christie’s game plan with our members and detail our responses, including editorials, data, local association reactions, talking points and tracking legislation.
• Local Leader email blasts – “A Message from the President” has included information monthly since the crisis began on the crisis and what NJEA members need to know.
• Preparing an “I am NJEA” billboard campaign for use in locals and with governor and legislators.
• Leader Connection page on njea.org is updated daily since its inception.
• Communications staff has updated the “What NJEA is doing” piece at least four times since March 2010.
External Communication – what we’re saying/doing with the public
NJEA News Service
• Email updates to reporters, legislators, opinion leaders, the business community, local officials, etc.
• Since the start of the crisis, we have sent 13 news launches to all New Jersey press and other targeted recipients (business leaders, legislators, local officials, etc.)
o Jan. 21 – a story reaffirming the high quality of NJ public schools
o Feb. 8 – a hard-hitting response to Sen. Sweeney’s pension proposals
o Feb. 11 – Barbara’s strong response to Gov. Christie’s emergency budget address announcing $475 million in school spending cuts for this FY.
o Feb. 18 – a story demanding that the Governor and Legislature stop the deception about why the pension system is underfunded
o Mar. 1 – a story about the op-ed authored by NJ Teacher of the Year Maryann Woods-Murphy
o Mar. 3 – a story about the Governor’s desire to grant $1 billion in tax cuts to the state’s wealthiest taxpayers while proposing more than a billion dollars in education cuts.
o Mar. 11 – a story on our first TV ad attacking Gov. Christie’s proposed education cuts.
o Mar. 15 – a story on the second TV ad urging Gov. Christie to help students, not millionaires.
o Mar. 15 – NJEA’s statement on the Governor’s disastrous budget for education.
o Mar. 16 – NJEA President Keshishian fights back against Christie’s attacks and deceptions.
o Mar. 23 – a story on the Governor’s misplaced priorities.
o Mar. 30 – a story on Christie’s choice to protect millionaires, not kids.
o Apr. 9 – NJEA apologizes to Gov. Christie for offensive statement.
o Apr. 12 – Christie takes another swipe at school funding.
o Apr. 13 – Schundler’s figures don’t add up.
o Apr. 15 – NJEA warns about Christie’s “catastrophic” pension proposals.
o Apr. 20 – NJEA demands Christie apologize for calling students “drug mules”
o Apr. 21 – State report shows Christie’s pay freeze claims are false.
o Apr. 26 – Christie and Schundler continue to mislead the public on “freeze”
Paid Media
• Two 60-second radio spots that aired for two weeks in February on stations statewide
• Feb. 28 – ran full page ads in 12 Sunday newspapers across the state, telling readers that Christie was threatening to cut school spending, pensions, and benefits while giving tax breaks to the rich.
• To date: Four weeks of TV flights featuring two TV spots using NJ Teacher of the Year Maryann Woods-Murphy taking on the governor’s proposals and funding priorities.
• NJEA’s “Report on Education” columns.
• “I am NJEA” billboards.
• In the works:
o Anti-Christie TV ad attacking his misinformation campaign with the public
o 2 Anti-Christie TV ads featuring NJEA President Barbara Keshishian
o Anti-Christie radio campaign
o Full-page print ads going after Christie’s attacks on public education and NJEA members
o Additional web advertising to drive supportive public and parents to the NJKids&Families website
Earned Media
• Literally hundreds of media interviews with print, radio, TV, and web-based outlets since the eruption of the crisis in January.
o Multiple opportunities to press our key messages:
Pension/benefit changes are unnecessary and will not address real issues
State needs to address funding in order to stabilize pensions
Christie’s budget cuts are harmful to schools and students
Christie’s priorities are wrong; don’t cut taxes for millionaires while cutting funding for schools
Christie is not being truthful in the information he spreads about NJEA
• We have successfully pitched all three NJEA officers and Teacher of the Year Maryann Woods-Murphy for media interviews on TV, radio, and print
• Numerous appearances by our spokespersons with our message on MSNBC, CBS 3/WB57 (Phila), Fox 29 (Phila), News 12NJ, WNBC (NY), WOR, NJN, FIOS 1, NBC Nightly News, and many more.
Online/Social Networking
• Created a new website -- www.NJKidsandFamilies.org -- for the purpose of identifying and organizing supportive parents and public. We placed extensive web ads on Facebook, Google, and targeted websites; when people clicked through to the site, they were invited to:
o Sign a Petition (and provide their email address)
o Take action – contact legislators
o Take action email blasts at those who sign the petition
o Results: More than 70,000 emails gathered, and thousands of emails to legislators and the Governor. We had a request to stop sending so many at once since it was affecting government work. We now batch our emails so as to have a strong – but not overwhelming – presence every day.
• Facebook – NJ Kids and Families page, using our NJEA and New Jersey Education Association pages, and providing support to pages that have been built by NJEA members such as New Jersey Teachers United Against Governor Chris Christie’s Pay Freeze, which currently has more than 70,000 members
• Paid ads on Facebook driving readers to our various websites with pro-education, pro-NJEA messages and the truth about Chris Christie’s priorities and actions as governor.
Local Association Crisis Assistance
• NJEA continues to provide Communications support to local associations. We have produced:
o 7,500 color posters that expose Christie’s lies to our members
o Speeches, websites, parent brochures, talking points, letters to the editor, coffee klatch training materials, newspaper advertisements, etc.
• Privatization battles have skyrocketed. NJEA Communications is assisting numerous locals fight privatization with speeches, media assistance, and other communications materials.
• Communications assistance with county-organized rallies in Morris, Passaic, Bergen, Atlantic, Gloucester, Essex, and Camden counties.
• At the same time, we continue to provide local associations Communications support with their bargaining crises.
School Budget Election
• NJEA continued to advocate for local school budgets, by:
o Sending a statewide school budget election mailing to all NEA members;
o Sending an all-member email reminding NJEA members to vote in school budget elections;
o Sending all retirees an email asking them to support our school budgets;
o Local assistance to associations working to pass their budgets including: website creation and support, speeches, brochures, coffee klatch training, talking points, signs, member materials, and pass the budget training.
• We wrote a sample letter for county presidents to use to encourage their members to support their local school budgets.
• We provide support to county school budget campaigns including writing and designing copy for yard signs, billboards, bus ads, TV ads, radio ads, newspaper ads, stickers, etc.
Government Relations Support
• NJEA Communications has drafted testimony for numerous hearings regarding pensions and school funding.
o Feb. 17 – Assembly Budget Committee
o Feb. 18 – Senate Appropriations Committee
o Mar. 18 – Assembly Appropriations Committee
o April – Privatization hearings (statewide)
• Assisting in the publication of regular Cyberlobbees – e-newsletter to more than 60,000 members who regularly lobby the Governor, Congress, and the Legislature.
