- We're now joined by the Senate majority leader in New Jersey, state senator Teresa Ruiz.

Senator, thank you for joining us.

- Thank you for having me again.

- Senator, you were on a previous segment talking about childcare.

You're a leader in that fight, but you're also one of the most influential members of the legislature on education issues as the former chair of the Senate Education Committee.

I wanna ask you this about learning loss.

You've talked about it extensively.

There was an editorial in the Star Ledger/ NJ.com recently that quoted you talking about learning loss.

Help us understand this.

Is the department, as we speak right now, at the end of 2022, is the Department of Education accurately and timely releasing information about student learning loss in New Jersey as it relates to the pandemic?

- No, and so, unfortunately, the information came out later than expected and I don't think it's as disaggregated as we need it to be, but that being said, what we do know is that we have 50 plus percent of the general population in third grade not meeting grade level expectations.

So, at this point, districts, parents, and the state could formulate that we have a crisis.

We thought the pandemic was the issue.

For me, the learning loss and the impact is extraordinary.

The fact that we don't have a daily briefing with the heads of state talking about how we're gonna mitigate this to improve the outcomes for this next generation will be something that all of us who are watching this or talking about it will have to pay for in years to come if we don't make the investment now to save this generation of students.

- Senator, what's standing in the way of that?

I mean, we are taping this as we said earlier, in 2023, but it'll be three years as of March 2023.

Why wouldn't we have that information?

Go ahead, I'm sorry.

- So, I can't answer you because anyone who knows me, if I were in charge, I'd be completely focused on-- - And I do know you.

- I would be completely focused on education and gearing a lot of our funding towards this.

You know, this is, so I wanna be very clear.

This, so what we did see was that COVID impacted learning loss and it bled into different zip codes.

But that what it also elevated was that New Jersey has been facing an achievement gap that pre-dates this administration.

The one thing that is different is that we have a once in a lifetime opportunity with the federal billions of dollars that have come into the state and into our districts.

So, what I'm asking is for a rapid fire response.

Let's do this in the same way when we were talking about saving lives who had been exposed to COVID.

Let's approach it in that same way.

Let's eliminate all those levels of bureaucracy.

Let's call out for a state of emergency.

We know what good practices have.

We have brilliant minds in our teachers here in the state of New Jersey.

Let's bring them to the table and let's start just taking a common sense approach to what governments should do on behalf of all the families in the state of New Jersey.

- Quick follow up, this is risky to do this but I'll do it anyway.

This may be out of date, but we're taping again at the end of 2022.

As of now, Senator Ruiz, what has been the response of the Murphy administration to what I know because I think I know you pretty well, your very strong communication and messaging on this issue and what they need to do through the Department of Education?

What has been the response to date?

- Unfortunately, I think it's been too slow.

So, the response what we're talking about now, setting up a policy table with the best minds in the state to talk about teacher shortages, we know that we've put forth several pieces of legislation.

Let's just get those regulations in place.

Let's eliminate the teacher residency requirement in the state for some time frame so that we have neighboring people who wanna come in and teach to fill those vacancies and there's gaps.

We know that high dose tutoring, when it's done properly, is working.

We should've instituted that several years ago.

So, I just think that what's hugely missing is that sense of urgency that existed at the beginning of the pandemic.

- One more quick question on this.

I've never asked you this.

We've had other of your colleagues talk about this on both sides of the aisle on the Senate.

But I need your perspective on this, not just as a ranking member of the legislature, as the former chair of the committee on, Education Committee in the Senate.

But you've had many of your colleagues come on and I'm not gonna name them 'cause you know who they are, that are saying, "Hey, what's up with this "critical race theory?

"What's up with sex education in our schools?

"We need to put more pressure on boards of education.

"We need parents more involved in curriculum."

Parent involvement, my wife and I involved.

You, as you and your husband, very involved.

But where is the line, from your perspective, as to what is inappropriate and not particularly helpful involvement of those who are saying, "Ban that book.

"I don't want critical race theory taught," et cetera, et cetera, and what's up with sex education and health?

Loaded question, I know, Senator.

- So, this is my stance.

I want my child to be exposed to the truth in this history of this country whether it's good, bad, or indifferent and sometimes, really hard to swallow.

I didn't understand the relationship of Puerto Rico and this country until I was in college and post that, doing my own due diligence.

Many times, many of us were categorized and I'm dating myself.

You used to have that history book and then you would have that little box off to the corner that would talk about contributions of so many people in this country that get put in a sub-text as opposed to having a whole chapter or a whole book just completely written about it.

So, completely leaning into teaching the truth whether some of that will be uncomfortable.

But it is what it is and we shouldn't shy away from that.

When it comes to health matters, I want us, I want a responsible adult exposing my child to science driven health data and facts.

If that's gonna make our, have her make better decisions in life.

And of course I'm gonna engage in those discussions.

But what's clearly important in here is that if you do not feel, right, that this text, from a health perspective is appropriate, there are opportunities - Opt out.

- for you to still opt out.

You don't have to participate.

- Opt out!

- Now, on the historical side of it, there isn't that.

- No.

- But let's not shy away of how this country was built.

We should engage in those conversations.

We don't learn what has happened in the past.

We don't learn or understand that some people have had greater opportunities because of generational wealth.

We can't have a truthful discussion about policy or about who we are in this country.

- Yeah, we don't get to opt out of history.

State Senator, Teresa Ruiz, the senate majority leader from the 29th district.

Senator, thank you so much for joining us.

We appreciate it.

- Thank you for having me.

- You got it.

I'm Steve Adubato.

Thank you so much for watching.

See you next time.

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

Funding has been provided by The Turrell Fund, supporting Reimagine Childcare.

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