Christie said Giordano's statement was "outrageous" and that he was "disgusted" by it. He said that it typified the "puffed-up, rich-man baloney" of the NJEA and that Giordano should resign or be fired.
He added: "If someone in my administration said something like that to the poor and disadvantaged in this state, they would find their rear end on the sidewalk in two minutes."
Giordano, in a statement Wednesday evening, responded in kind: "I have no intention of resigning. If he thinks he's going to bully me like he bullies everyone else, he doesn't understand who I am or how deeply I care about the work I do."
He said the state Supreme Court had compelled Christie to restore funds to urban districts and accused him of hypocrisy, and in turn called on the governor to "resign from office immediately."
The NJEA said Christie was mischaracterizing Giordano's remark and argued that the association was a far better advocate of poor urban students than Christie, who it said has cut hundreds of millions of dollars in education funding.
These cuts were due in part to the loss of $1 billion in federal stimulus money, Christie's office said, and the state now spends more on education than when he took office.
Christie's fight for major changes to the education system have repeatedly run up against the NJEA, the state's most powerful lobby.
After an uneventful town hall meeting, Christie held a news conference specifically to address the comment. He spoke of Giordano's salary and the NJEA's "palace" office building in Trenton. Giordano's salary is about $320,000.
