Governor Chris Christie press conference on upcoming snow storm

Governor Chris Christie.

TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie attacked a familiar foe on Tuesday, saying an op-ed penned by the president of the state's largest teachers' union was a "delight" to read -- and then burn.

The governor lashed out at New Jersey Education Association's Wendell Steinhaur after the group's president said the state should wait for the next governor before tooling with New Jersey's school funding formula.

Steinhaur wrote his opinion in an op-ed for The Star-Ledger.

"That ridiculous op-ed by the incredibly overpaid Wendell Steinhaur was really a delight to read," Christie said at a public event in Trenton.

"That's why I'm glad there's some snow and still some cold weather, because it will be great in my fireplace to help burn that," he said. "We're going to continue to ignore them."

In response, the NJEA spokesman Steve Baker accused the governor of "doing his best Donald Trump imitation, stooping to the same sort of name-calling and bombast to try to cover up his utter lack of a record."

"New Jersey doesn't need an imitation Donald Trump. We need a leader who is focused on policy," he said. "We stand by the op-ed."

Christie lashed out at Steinhaur after a reporter asked for an update on his challenge to lawmakers to agree on a new school funding formula before he leaves office.

The governor made the announcement during his final budget address last month. In the speech, Christie abandoned his pitch to slash funding to urban districts and give tax relief to wealthy suburbs and instead put forth a budget on school funding that maintains the status quo.

He called on lawmakers to come to the table and agree on a plan.

"I've had conversations with leaders of the Legislature and we're making progress. But that's all I'm going to say," Christie said on Tuesday.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook.