New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to Headline National School Choice Summit

WASHINGTON, DC (April 22, 2010) – New Jersey Governor Chris Christie—who has championed scholarship tax credit programs and charter schools as the Garden State’s new Governor—will give a major policy address on school choice at a national education reform summit on May 3rd, in Washington, D.C.
Christie, a Republican, will deliver the keynote address to the opening dinner event at “School Choice Now: Empowering America’s Children”—the national policy summit of the American Federation for Children (AFC), the nation’s leading voice for school choice (www.FederationForChildren.org). Christie will discuss the importance of providing educational options to low-income children as part of a bold education reform agenda to ensure that all children have equal opportunity for a quality education.
The AFC national policy summit, which will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., will take place on Monday, May 3, and Tuesday, May 4, 2010. The event will inform and encourage school choice supporters to promote school choice programs in their own states and communities and will feature some of the nation’s leading public policy-makers and analysts. The summit is open to the public via registration.
“We are honored that one of America’s leading education reformers—Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey—will help us launch our national policy summit this year,” said Betsy DeVos, chairman of the American Federation for Children. “Governor Christie’s bold agenda for education reform is a national model for courageous political leadership in the fight to ensure that every child – without regard to family income – gets an equal opportunity for a quality education.”
Christie, the former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, was elected in 2009 in a stunning upset, defeating incumbent Governor Jon Corzine, who was backed by millions of dollars in special interest money from New Jersey’s teachers unions. Christie has moved aggressively with both Democrats and Republicans to address the urgent need for bold education reform, particularly in New Jersey’s failing urban public schools. The Governor has endorsed bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by New Jersey State Senator Ray Lesniak (D) and Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr., (R) to provide tax credit scholarships to families trapped in the state’s failing public schools to send their children to the private school of their choice.
AFC is a national 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to the advancement of school choice – particularly for disadvantaged families – through school vouchers, tax credit scholarships, and public charter schools.
For more information about the summit and to register online, please visit www.FederationForChildren.org.