TRENTON — A spokesman for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says the head of the state teachers union has refused to fire the local union leader who wrote a memo hinting that the governor should die.

Christie spokesman Mike Drewniak says Christie wants Bergen County teachers union head Joe Coppola canned.

New Jersey Education Association President Barbara Keshishian walked out of an afternoon meeting with the governor yesterday after refusing to fire Coppola.

Earlier yesterday, Christie urged voters to reject school budgets in districts where teachers have not accepted a one-year wage freeze.

Keshishian says the governor shouldn’t have done that.

She refused to discuss her meeting with Christie.