Our students’ performance consistently ranks first or second nationally. [1] Our public schools draw people to New Jersey and are critical for maintaining the state’s economy and property values. Yet our excellent public schools are under an attack that will destroy them unless parents and other concerned residents speak up.
Assault on New Jersey’s Public Schools Part I – Fiscal Starvation
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Our public schools have been underfunded by more than $3.6 billion between 2010 and the proposed 2012-13 State Budget:
- In February 2010, the State confiscated $476 million that school districts had set aside for necessary capital improvements[2]
- The 2010-11 state budget underfunded public education by $1.6 billion
- The 2011-12 state budget underfunded public education by $855 million
- The proposed 2012-13 budget would underfund public education by approximately $715 million
- The 2 percent property tax cap prevents school districts from raising the necessary revenue locally [3]
School districts across the state have been forced to lay off teachers and dramatically increase class sizes; eliminate art, music, language, full-day kindergarten and extracurricular programs; and cut the transportation necessary to ensure our children’s safety.[4]
Assault on New Jersey’s Public Schools Part II – Eroding Local Control
In addition to being starved financially, the schools are facing an onslaught of legislative and executive actions that take away local control and further limit the funds available for public education, including
- Charter school expansion that ignores local voter preferences while depleting their public school budgets
- Siphoning off of limited public funds for private and religious school vouchers
What You Can Do to Protect New Jersey’s Public Schools
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