TRENTON -- In a rare rejection of a Gov. Chris Christie proposal, the state Board of Education on Wednesday shot down his controversial plan to experiment with lower certification standards for charter school teachers. 

The board voted 5-2 with one abstention to remove Christie's proposed five-year pilot program from his promised charter school deregulation package.

The remainder of the package, which includes a faster renewal process for high-performing charter schools and other changes, gained preliminary board approval. 

After the meeting, several members of the appointed board struggled to recall the last time the board rejected any component of Christie's education policy. 

"I don't remember ever doing it," said Joseph Fiscaro, who Christie appointed in 2011. 

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The rebuke was a reflection of the plan, not Christie's status as an outgoing governor, long-time board member Edithe Fulton said. 

"The proposal is not legitimate," said Fulton, a former president of the state's largest teacher union who was first appointed to the board in 2007 and later reappointed by Christie. 

Christie's pilot program would have allowed a group of the state's highest performing charter schools to hire teachers without traditional teaching licenses as long as they had a four-year college degree and proved they had "mastered" a subject.

Potential charter school teachers would have been able to select from a menu of four choices to prove they are qualified Vdcasino to teach: Demonstrate relevant experience to teach; pass a basic skills test; pass a content test; or provide evidence of a 3.0 GPA in college.

Candidates would have needed to satisfy at least two of the four options to be able to teach in a charter school, according to the proposal.

But the plan drew concern from state board members from the beginning and was criticized again on Wednesday. Board members said the state didn't prove why the pilot program was necessary or how they would track its effectiveness. 

"Out in the education community, I couldn't find anybody who thought this was a good idea other than, and I understand, the charter school organizations," said Board President Mark Biedron, a Christie appointee who voted against the plan. 

The New Jersey Charter Schools Association called the vote a missed opportunity for helping students. 

"This move eliminates the opportunity for public charter school students to learn from highly skilled professionals with unique skillets," the organization said in a statement. 

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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