- [Narrator] Funding for this edition of One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been provided by Hackensack Meridian Health.

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- This is One-On-One.

- I'm an equal American just like you are.

- The way we change presidents in this country is by voting.

- I'’m hopeful that this is the beginning to accountability.

- Life without dance is boring.

- I don't care how good you are or how good you think you are, there is always something to learn.

- I did do the finale, and guess where my trailer was?

A block away from my apartment, it couldn'’t have been better!

- People call me 'cause they feel nobody's paying attention.

-_ It'’s not all about memorizing and getting information, it'’s what you do with that information.

- (slowly) Start talking right now.

- That's a good question, high five.

(upbeat music) - Hi everyone, Steve Adubato.

We kick off a series of conversations under the banner, "Who will teach our children?"

And we'll have a whole range of experts in the field of education talking about that.

And we're joined today by Dr. Nora Hyland, Associate Professor and Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, my alma mater.

Good to see you, Dr. - It's great to see you too, Steve.

Thanks for having me.

- You get the color?

- You see this?

Is the appropriate color?

- That's right, you've got Rutgers scarlet.

(laughs) - Just checking.

Hey listen, let's be serious, I'll stop goofing around, "Who will teach our children?"

There is a real teacher shortage.

We've lost a significant number of teachers over the last several years.

What impact has COVID had on exacerbating the teacher shortage challenge already, that already existed?

- Well, we know that COVID was stressful for teachers.

It exacerbated existing stressors.

It also coincided with what I would call some manufactured culture wars that happened at the same time.

So though, it's hard to tease out, but certainly we know that teachers by and large are very dissatisfied.

We are at an all time low of teachers saying that they're very satisfied with their jobs.

We're down to 12% nationally.

- 12%?

- 12% of teachers nationally report that they're very satisfied, down from 62% about a decade ago.

- Go back to the culture war issue.

So critical race theory, sex education, it's what it is.

It's not what people often say it is or imply that it is.

What has the controversy, or controversies plural, around critical race theory and sex education, what impact do you believe it's had on teachers who are on the front lines of that, along with boards of education and educational administrators, et cetera?

Go ahead, please.

I'm sorry, Dr. - Oh, it's fine.

I think it's increased the stress load.

I mean, these are teachers that are often and historically, increasingly in the last decade, been blamed for social ills that they really don't control and can't control, and yet they are held responsible and often sort of publicly blamed for them.

But then on top of that, these manufactured culture wars make teachers nervous about doing their jobs, which really are not very controversial.

These are manufactured controversies that put teachers in very challenging positions.

With... - Dare I, I'm sorry for interrupting.

A little delay.

Do you, in your research and your colleagues when you talk about this, do you incorporate the issue of school violence, school shooting, school violence into the equation as to why there's the teacher shortage that there is?

Is it part of it?

- It's an interesting question.

We haven't seen that that particularly has been a part of it, although, you know, it's such a plethora of stressors and decisions that teachers have to make every day.

And increasingly things like lockdown drills, that increases the stress that people experience.

- Now, our daughter is in middle school and has some wonderful teachers in the public school system in our town.

But I do wonder about the teachers who are left.

If there's this shortage, not if, there is, it puts tremendous pressure on the teachers who remain.

Be more specific about that pressure on them, A, and B, the impact it ultimately has on students, particularly students of color.

- Yes.

So whenever there's a teacher shortage or a shortage of any public resource, the effect of that shortage disproportionately affects our lowest income people in a society.

So, and that's true with teacher shortages as well, but in every school, regardless of the income level of the community, teachers are seeing fewer colleagues.

They're teaching subject areas that they're not licensed to teach, perhaps.

They're more likely when their colleagues are absent for the day to have extra kids come in their class that they have to figure out what to do with because they can't get substitutes.

Teachers are increasingly hearing from parents or other political organizations asking them for commentary about different curriculum initiatives.

Those kinds of things increase the stress and impact a teacher's capacity to teach the kids in front of them.

And we're seeing this more so, of course, in communities of color and in low income communities.

- If you're listening to us on the radio side, this is Dr. Nora Hyland from the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University.

She understands this at a very deep level.

I wanna follow up on the question of potential, I don't even know if you call them solutions, but they are remedies, some things that would make a difference.

Obviously paying our teachers more, but making a commitment to do that even if it means, yes, that's right, potentially raising taxes, property taxes in your community.

Oh my God, we have the highest property taxes.

That's true in the nation, we do, but if we don't pay our teachers more, that's problematic.

But in addition to paying them more, what else are we talking about?

- Well, we're talking about benefits as well.

So we know that we saw a precipitous drop in interest in the teaching profession in 2011 when Governor Christie changed the benefit packages for public employees.

We also know that... - Health and pension.

- Correct.

Correct.

It was chapter 78 cuts.

So we know that our state legislature, I think, is actually really invested in creating solutions and they're getting creative.

So in some ways they're beginning to remove some barriers, redundant performance based assessments.

The Senate just voted to approve the governor's conditional veto on that edTPA assessment.

- Hold on, let's, I'm sorry for interrupting, Dr. Let's make that clear.

What we're talking about is student assessment, or standardized tests, the number of them, the redundancy of them is being what?

Reduced?

- This is actually a teacher performance-based assessment that's required for pre-service teachers to enter the profession.

But it's a redundant one because we already have performance-based assessments.

- So that's just to get into the profession?

- Correct.

Correct.

- Are standardized tests for students part of the issue, this issue as well, or am I... - Oh, absolutely.

- confusing things.

Oh, it is part of it.

- Yeah.

We, you know, we test our students a lot and then teachers are held responsible for student test scores, which to some extent they should be, but when we are testing and over testing and that becomes the single measure of student success.

And we also know that that success is so deeply linked to things, to other social factors that are outside of teacher's control.

So, but the other things we can do is, we can pay attention to what's happening locally.

Parents can offer teachers a little bit of grace around class size, lesson plans, testing, and understand that they are under a great deal of pressure.

Right now the state is looking at the education code.

- Few seconds left Dr., I'm so sorry.

Just a few seconds left.

Go ahead, I don't wanna cut you off.

Finish your point.

- But we should pay attention to what's being proposed in the state education code and people should make comments on it.

We should be engaged in the process.

- It'd be also nice if you keep the educators in the schools out of quote, unquote, "partisan politics."

That would be nice.

- It would be.

- I'm sorry, my job is not to editorialize.

I apologize for doing that.

Dr. Nora Hyland, Associate Professor and Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, "Who will teach our children?"

A critically important question we'll continue to explore in that series.

Thank you Dr. Hyland.

- Thank you.

Have a great day.

- You got it.

Stay with us, we'll be right back.

- [Narrator] To watch more One on One with Steve Adubato find us online and follow us on Social media.

- Folks, this is an encore interview.

That's right, he's back: Adam Philipson, President and CEO of the Count Basie Center for the Arts.

Good to see you, Adam.

- Good to see you!

Thanks for having me back.

- Well, no, I'm surprised you came back after the last time.

I think I was very rude to you.

No, I'm joking.

I wasn't.

(Adam laughing) I would never be rude.

- Never!

- Never.

Hey, listen, Adam, this is part of a miniseries that our executive producer, Georgette Timoney, and I created called "The Arts Connection," and your organization is a part of that.

Question: the arts and going into 2023, more important than ever before, and if so, why?

- They're more important than ever in my opinion, and I think what I'm hearing is more important in many people's opinions.

I think what we learned, you know, during COVID really was just how much we needed each other and how much the arts were an opportunity for us to really address, you know, what we were feeling and going through.

I mean, every commercial that you saw on TV, whether mask or not, had people singing from balconies.

You know, this was a moment of people finding and dancing with their son and daughter for the first time.

You know, we found each other a little bit, and I think we began to be creative together, and certainly, this is our pathway out, this opportunity for us not to just experience the arts and see it, but also to participate, and it's the way our community can come together, Steve, and that's what's critical.

That's what's missing, and that's what's needed.

- We got some B roll, and we'll show some background footage.

Some of the most exciting and important things going on at the Count Basie Center for the Arts.

- Oh, I mean, we've got- - Plug away, my friend!

- (laughs) We've got a whole bunch of great stuff happening.

First of all, we opened up another venue, and I'm sure we'll talk about that, called The Vogel, which is just incredible, new, gorgeous venue.

- What's it called?

actually, in October of 2020, with tables seated, and 150, and six feet apart the way we were allowed to, but that now is really turning into a premier jazz club, and it's a place where we're having dance parties.

It's a place to really bring in a lotta people who may never have touched foot here in the Basie before.

But then there's all kinds of things happening in the community as well.

We've got a Calpulli dance program, which are doing just amazing things in this community, you know, teaching ballet folklorico to students and children and parents, and people are out together with their families dancing.

We have a gospel choir that's been performing that opened up for Dr. West when he came to speak.

- Cornel West.

(hands clapping) Check out our website for a great half-hour special we did with Dr. Cornel West, extraordinary.

But go ahead.

Pick it up.

- So our big theater is at the Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre.

So when we exploded the Count Basie Center, including a beautiful education building that has six classrooms, we also, with our partnership with the hospital, we were able to have them become a part, and I mean, there again, to your first question, you know, the recognition and understanding how much the arts are a part of our healing.

You know, I've heard Bob Garrett many times say just exactly that.

- Bob Garrett, the CEO of HMH.

They are a significant underwriter of what we do as well.

Just wanna clarify that.

So real quick on this: with inflation being what it is, with the economy being what it is, Adam, people have to make these really tough choices about how they spend their money and what they spend their money on.

Where do the arts fit into that equation, when people are trying to deal with the basics?

Which, I'm not gonna ponder the question whether the arts are part of the basics, but there are other basics before that.

Talk about that.

- (clears throat) You know, I think it's a key question, and honestly, it's something that all of the arts organizations that I speak to daily are struggling with.

And, you know, costs have gone up.

Artist fees have gone up.

Just the cost of alcohol in our venue has gone up.

Everything has gone up.

Our labor has gone up, you know.

So what does that mean?

What do you do?

You have to raise the price of tickets?

You can't always do that.

So what we end up happening is, you know, really relying on subsidy that we're able to get wherever we might be able to get that to continue to help support us to make it viable because, you know, if we just keep raising prices, then we really defeat the purpose, which is being available and accessible for all, right?

So I think it's a difficult decision.

There's a lotta pieces that we're starting to move into where community work that's happening, some of that's free just to make sure people are here and experiencing it.

We bus in 10,000 kids a year at our dime to performances so that they can get here, but, you know, terms of how does someone prioritize it?

All you can do is advocate for the fact that this experience, these experiences are what are required.

Feeling that magic for a moment is what's part of giving you the courage to continue to persevere, and obviously, you know, you're not gonna choose a theater show over food if that's what you're coming up against.

I mean, you have to keep the priorities real, but I think, you know, as long as there's subsidized programming and as long as there's continued support for the arts organizations, we're going to persevere.

- You know, it's interesting.

It's one thing to attend, which is, you know, you attend a theater performance.

You attend a concert.

You attend a comedy act, you know, or listen to Dr. West, and it's moving on so many levels, but to actually participate actively in the arts is important as well, particularly for kids.

I say this a lot, and hopefully not too much, that our daughter is very much into dance, and my wife and I have seen what it's done for her and her confidence and her ability to interact with other people, to overcome not performing the way she would like to and then practicing and practicing and persevering.

Talk about that.

- Yeah, no, you're saying it all.

I mean, there are skills that you learn from participating in the arts that, you know, yes, you get that, perhaps, when you're on a sports team and you're working hard, but if you're not athletic, and that's not the way you wanna express yourself, let me tell you: the teams that we see built and the perseverance and working through failure and getting yourself up again and learning and growing and breaking through and having confidence and courage, and it's palpable.

It's real, and I think that those that study the arts, your daughter included, that may not become a dancer, their lives will forever be impacted and changed because of that experience.

They will bring that sensibility to everything that they do, and that's what's needed.

- Before I let you go, I've never asked you this.

Your connection to the arts happened when?

- (laughs) I had performing arts camp, when I was six years old, we started up.

- There it is.

- I was the wolf in "Peter and the Wolf."

- Six!

- But yeah.

- Well, hold on.

I interrupted you.

What did you do?

- Well, I was, you know, I mean, at six, I played the wolf in "Peter and the Wolf," and then in my 20s and 30s, I was on Broadway and did national tours, so I've been in a lotta theaters across the country for sure.

- And now, you're helping other people pursue their dreams in the arts and also helping others enjoy and appreciate the arts at the Count Basie Theatre for the Arts.

Adam Philipson, the President and CEO.

Adam, as always, thank you for joining us, and I promise, as we continue "The Arts Connection," and we'll revisit you.

Thanks, my friend.

- Thank you.

It's good to see you.

Thank you.

- You got it.

Stay with us.

We'll be right back.

- [Narrator] To watch more One on One with Steve Adubato find us online and follow us on Social media.

- We're now joined by Adele LaTourette, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey.

Good to see you, Adele.

- Good to see you, Steve.

- Website's gonna be up.

We've been doing this series.

You know, I can't believe we're calling it a series.

We've done so many programs about food insecurity, about fighting hunger, the graphic will be up, but we can do programming, but the Community Food Bank of New Jersey fights it every day.

Describe the work of the Food Bank, and also, as people look on the website, they can find out more.

Go ahead, Adele.

- So the work of the Food Bank is really to supply our network of emergency food pantries across the state, but it's also to really focus on how we actually address hunger and food insecurity in the long-term.

So that's the work we're really starting to get down to.

It's exciting work.

It means, really, making sure that people have access to resources beyond emergency food, and that includes SNAP, and that includes WIC, and working on making sure that the- - They're acronyms for federal programs to help people as it relates to food insecurity issues.

- That's exactly right.

So SNAP is Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.

- WIC is Women, Infant, and Children.

- That's correct.

That's- - I just wanted to show that I knew that.

(Adele chuckles) - You did great.

- All right, so you got some federal programs, but it's not enough.

- It's not enough.

So what we're seeing, actually, is an increase in the number of people over the numbers that we saw during the pandemic, that pantries are serving right now.

- Why do you think?

- I think it's a combination of things.

I think, I mean y'all know the impact of inflation and what that's done to our budget.

So think of yourself as someone who's really struggled during COVID, a frontline worker or someone who was totally out of work, and now you're trying to go back to work and you're faced with these enormous expenses.

So I think that's absolutely one of the things.

The other thing is that the federal government really went into action during COVID and provided a fair amount of subsidies to people and those subsidies are pretty much gone.

So that's a real issue.

- You know, Adele, I'm curious.

Is what you are referring to, is that what is called the, quote, benefits cliff?

- Kind of.

I mean we had universal school meals, which are gone.

We had Pandemic EBT, which is basically a program specifically designed to help people who have not, or were not able to access school meals.

We had Summer Food universal service.

Everybody got served summer food.

So yeah, that is the benefits cliff that has gone into effect.

We still do have SNAP maximization, but that will be coming to an end with the end of the federal health pandemic, what do they call it, legislation.

- Yeah, the CARES Act, you mean?

- Not the CARES Act, no.

It's, sorry, the declaration, the federal health declaration.

Once that expires, those maximization benefits of SNAP benefits will expire, as well.

- But, you know, as you talk about these different government programs, and then I think about the President, President Biden's Conference on Hunger and Nutrition in America, saying that we will end hunger by 30, excuse me, 2030.

Does that match up?

You got certain programs sunsetting.

You've got all kinds of limitations on who can get what.

How is that supposed to happen in the next seven, eight years?

- I think what the President is talking about is the fact that we saw the impact of what these subsidies and program additions did to the issue of hunger.

It could've been so much worse without them.

So I think it's really a call to action, to make sure that these programs get reinstated, that we serve people universal meals in every school, regardless of income, that we make sure that people have access to summer food in a way that is convenient, that they can actually serve their kids, that they can feed their kids, that we have increased SNAP benefits.

We've started on the road to that.

Federally, we have definitely have done that in New Jersey, recently passed legislation.

But I think it's really a call to action and I think there's now a roadmap in place that we can follow, step-by-step, to really make that happen.

- You know, it's one thing to talk about the government end of things, but I'm also curious about this, Adele, the role of corporate, the role of the media's obvious, is to continue to shine a light on the issue of food insecurity and hunger.

That's what we need to do, we must do, and hopefully we'll continue to do that.

That being said, the role of corporations, as well as a role of nonprofits, we just actually interviewed the former Lieutenant Governor, Kim Guadagno, who had, Guadagno, who heads up Mercy Center, and they were talking about their relationship with the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, as well.

They are fighting hunger in the Asbury Park area.

The role of nonprofits, first.

- So the role of nonprofits, I mean I think what we're seeing and what we saw during the pandemic, as an extension of that, as well, is they're starting to focus more on those basic needs.

They're kind of adding those additional services to the ones that they provide.

So they are, they're our network.

I mean they play a key role in addressing hunger and food insecurity.

And in terms of corporations, I mean I think we really have to look at, let's look at how we can really address long-term economic security, focus on living wages, focus on the fact that, if people made enough money, they wouldn't need emergency food, they wouldn't need SNAP benefits, they wouldn't need those things.

So we have to really start looking at that and moving in the right direction.

- Go back to the corporation issue, because my understanding is, and maybe this is or is not connected, I'm not sure, is it, first, clarify this, food donations, are they down?

- Food donations are down, yes, because the cost of food is so high.

Absolutely, food donations are down, and that is having a real impact on the Community Food Bank, and also the network that it serves.

- And that's tied to inflation, obviously, food prices.

- Yes, I talk- - It's not that...

I'm sorry.

It's not that people, I'm sorry for interrupting.

There's a little delay.

It's not that people are less generous.

It's that it's not as doable.

But go ahead, I'm sorry.

- That's exactly right.

I talk to pantries every week, a small group of pantries, and I heard from one in a pretty wealthy part of the state and she was saying that she has had, in the past, people who regularly go to the food store and pick stuff up for her food pantry at the same time, and that isn't happening because it's not, it's no longer a nice addition to their cart.

It's a real cost to their pocketbook.

- I asked you about corporations, the role of corporations in the effort to fight hunger.

- Yeah, and we need corporate donations of food here at the Food Bank.

We need corporations to step up.

But it is a challenge.

I mean it really is, it's a cost issue, so it's a challenge.

- Before I let you go, Adele, you got into this work, why?

- I got into this work with a sense of justice, and that was really what brought me into this work, and it's carried me through.

I've been working in this work for longer, well, for over 40 years.

So it's carried me through and it keeps getting refreshed with the wonderful work that the Food Bank carries out and that we can carry out with our network.

- One more quick one, sorry.

The effort to donate excess reusable bags, real quick.

- Yes, so people can donate new or clean, sanitized bag at CFBNJ.org.

- The website'll be up right now.

Say it again.

What can they donate?

- They can donate new or cleaned, sanitized reusable bags.

We have a pantry network that is in desperate need.

(Steve applauds) - Adele, thank you, to you and Carlos and the team at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey.

We thank you not only for helping us create greater public awareness around issues of hunger and food insecurity, but more importantly, for the work you do every day.

Thank you, Adele.

- Thanks so much, Steve.

- I'm Steve Adubato.

That's Adele.

We'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by Hackensack Meridian Health.

The New Jersey Education Association.

PSE&G, Valley Bank.

Summit Health MD Advantage Insurance Company.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

The North Ward Center.

And by The Russell Berrie Foundation.

Promotional support provided by NJ.Com.

And by CIANJ, and Commerce Magazine.

How do you create change?

By cultivating hope.

And we see that every day, in the eyes of our preschoolers, in the souls of the seniors in our adult day program, in the minds of the students at Robert Treat Academy, a national blue ribbon school of excellence, in the passion of children in our youth leadership development program, in our commitment to connections at the Center for Autism, and in the heart of our community, the North Ward Center, creating opportunities for equity, education, and growth.