where do i want to focus my attention? >> you've got to go to the trouble spots. >> and bring good people. that's why we recruited camie to come from new york and take over the newark school system. you have to get real leaders. and you know this, that any problem that we have in our society cannot be solved without real strong leadership. it can't be. and that's why we picked her. >> i'm going to ask you about your greatest success story. but before i do that so far, let's talk about the biggest surprise that you face since becoming governor. and the biggest obstacle and you can't use the word union in your answer. but obviously -- >> no comment then. >> you weren't an educator before you became governor, you were a prosecutor. so you come to this relatively new on the education reform front. what has surprised you. i'll give you an example so you know what i'm going for. the gates foundation, the gates have invested billions and billions of dollars in trying to reduce class sizes.
and i've had a lot of resistance. the last two years have been about fights to try to get people in new jersey awake to the idea that it is immoral to spend $24,000 per pupil per year in newark and have kids graduate at a stunningly low rate and the ones who graduate needing remedial training to sit in a college classroom. and it should matter to them. because guess what? they're paying for it. because 90% plus comes from the state income tax. we need to care about that for that reason and we need to care about it because these kids in newark, if we write them off and sign them away, they're not going away. >> let's talk about newark. and camie, i want to know what it took to get you to go to newark, new jersey. and a lot of begging. >> a lot of begging. >> and it'll be tough to get an answer out of you because i want to know if it pertains to money. was that a factor? what was it that enticed you? and willie was talking earlier
our new superintendent camie anderson. she has and will continue to take bold and courageous common sense steps to transform our system to that end. these steps won't be easy, but change never is. i want to be frank, it is appalling to me that when superintendent anderson comes out with bold common sense plans that some people won't even take time to listen to hear what they are. they put politics ahead of personalities and politics ahead of children and our families. we must do better than this for our kids. they deserve better from us as leaders. >> all right. that was mayor booker yesterday praising the school superintendent. here with us now ft. lee public school's superintendent and newark's school superintendent camie anderson.
right, you've got to give them credit. we've got to work together. we can't have a system here in new jersey like we have in washington where everybody's just yelling and screaming, taking their positions and putting out press releases and not getting anything done. we're getting things started here and we're going to work together. >> all right. we need to go to break, and we're going to have the governor here a bit longer. if you can't stay with us, governor -- >> is that okay, chris? >> i'm new jersey, baby, i'm fine. still ahead on this special edition of "morning joe," we're going to bring governor jack markell of delaware, and dannel malloy. up next, newark's school superintendent camie anderson. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks.