New Jersey Public Schools deserve a fair budget!
New Jersey State Legislators
Under Governor Chris Christie our public school system has been used as a tool to fulfill his own political agenda. His path of destructive decision making has and will continue to hurt the current and future citizens of the state of New Jersey. Ultimately, the decisions that Governor Christie has been making are destroying our schools and hurting our children.
The current budgetary proposals sets forth flat funding for the 2016 fiscal year. While not a loss of funding, projections reveal that, after adjustments, this funding will leave the public school system in a deficit of $1 billion, bringing our overall loss since Governor Christie has been in office to a total of $7 billion.
In addition to denying an increase in funding, the budget proposal includes language that would actually increase the financial responsibilities of public school districts to receiving charter school districts.
A proposal has also been included to establish an opportunity scholarship demonstration program with an attached $2 million appropriation of funds. This proposal is easily identified as funding for a voucher system that would further cause a drain on the budgets of public schools across the state that are already struggling with budgetary demands that are not being supported by the legal compliance with the School Funding Reform Act of 2008.
An additional blow was struck at the future of our public education systems and public worker systems on June 10, 2015 when the NJ Supreme Court ruled in Governor Christie's favor and stated that he did not need to follow the public pension funding requirements that were established by Chapter 78 in 2011.
Petition by
To:
New Jersey State Legislators
From:
[Your Name]
The time has come for the elected leaders of the state of New Jersey to stand against the agenda that is dismantling the nationally higher-ranked public school system within this state and make budgetary decisions that will support our schools rather than destroy them.
We are asking that you take a stand for the children of these states and refuse to accept any budgetary proposal items that will place our public school system in further jeopardy.
Specifically:
- Do not allow the amendment of language provisions that affect resident school districts' payments to charter schools as set forth in this year's budget proposal. Such changes could require public school districts to to pay more than the required tuition provisions that are currently established by the Charter School Funding Formula.
- Do not allow the Opportunity Scholarship Demonstration Program to be established. The establishment of such a program calls for an appropriation of $2 million. Money that should be better spent in the long-term investment of our public schools.
- Include budgetary provisions to aggressively address the current underfunding of the public pension system. Failure to do so will cause economic issues across the sate as the future projected state revenue decreases as a result. Creating such a plan and taking a stand will call for a direct override of any veto that Governor Christie puts forth.
We urge you to make the right choices for the future of the state, our children.
Thank you,