January 11, 2012
HEY ABBOTT! IT'S TIME TO FIX THIS INJUSTICE, BUT WHO WILL LEAD?
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie too busy rallying with Mitt Romney to address flawed Abbott legislation. (UPI/Kevin Dietsch)
It's been nearly nine months since the New Jersey State Supreme Court overstepped its mandate and forced down the throats of Garden State residents, one of the most egregious examples of legislation handed down from the bench in quite some time.
In the case of Abbott v. Burke, the court in a 3-2 ruling ordered the state to cough up an additional $500 million in aid to public education. But the extra aid had to go to the state's poorest districts. This was just the latest chapter in a case that has poured billions of dollars into 31 districts over several decades in an attempt to make sure that they receive the same amount of funding as New Jersey's wealthier districts. The premise being that more money automatically leads to better education. As we have seen from the results over these many years, that's not the way it works.
And what about those poor kids in the "wealthier" 550 or so districts? Tough luck. They get shut out because of where they live. The whole thing is nuts!
The latest court battle centered around budget cuts to education by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. And although he blasted the ruling as "an invoice" from the court he strongly disagreed with, he also said that he would comply with the order and shifted the burden of action to the legislature. And so in the time it takes for a baby to be conceived and born, nothing has happened to undo this travesty. Where do we go from here?
While the Governor continues to parade around the nation doing the really important stuff, like campaigning for Mitt Romney and running for Vice President, he has totally ignored Abbott. Our emails to two members of the Governor's team looking for a comment on his plans concerning Abbott have gone unanswered. While it is true, as the Governor says, he is not emperor and must obey the court, there is much he can be doing to push the legislature to do something. He could be using the bully pulpit the way he has on so many other issues. But Christie has bigger plans for himself, so don't count on his involvement.
Thankfully, there is a member of the New Jersey State Legislature who has his priorities straight, and is working to get Abbott overturned by the legislature and the people of New Jersey. State Senator Michael Doherty, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, representing the 23rd District, has proposed a constitutional amendment in response to the court's decision.
"Once again the court has overstepped its clearly defined constitutional authority. This decision also perpetuates a failed legal theory that more money will improve educational outcomes. This theory has been disproved after more than three decades of Abbott decisions."
Doherty, who is said to be considering a bid for the U.S. Senate for New Jersey, says his proposed amendment would "Forever remove the court from decisions on how we fund our schools. It will provide equal school aid for each student, regardless of where the student resides."
The Senator, in an exclusive conversation with Garden State Journal, pointed out that Asbury Park gets $25,000 per student, while in many suburban districts it's $300 per student. "Twenty percent of the kids get 60% of the money. This rewards failure and punishes success. The more you fail in New Jersey, the more you get. The people don't know how bad the situation is." Look at your local property taxes and you'll get a good clue!
As for his constitutional amendment, Senator Doherty says he has several co-sponsors and is trying to gain more support. "I am trying to convince leadership in the legislature and the State House that this is the way to go." And he is optimistic, "I believe 2012 will be the start of some dramatic changes of how we fund our schools in New Jersey."
There is some talk that Governor Christie will eventually direct his energies towards solving this problem. I will believe that when I see it. In the meantime let's be thankful that Senator Doherty is willing to take the lead, and let's be mindful of that fact when this eventually gets settled down the road and others look to claim the credit for it.
Comments :
Cristian
03/04/2012
I did not realize that it was only the Senate seat the Governor fielld. That's ridiculous. We can vote for a new Congressperson or local State rep but not our US Senator? The reason this has not come up before is because many people don't even realize it. My answer to Senator Maynard is the best reason to bring up changing this law is that the people in your district want it done. Now the next step is to get other Democratic committees across the State to do the same. With enough of the public saying they want it done, then it will become an issue our senators and representatives will hopefully respond to. I will happily send emails to all the Committee Chairs asking them to pass the same resolution.
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Maybe a poll of the residents of pennsauken township would be a good place to start, the questions could be something like this.Did you know that Governor Christie signed a bill allowing school boards to move their elections to november?Did you know that you will not be able to vote on a school budget if it at or below the 2% cap imposed by Governor christie?Did you know that the Board of education took away your right to vote on a school budget?Do you trust your school board to make decisions without your opportunity for input?this is something that the board of education didn’t do when they voted to move the elections to november.How many people in pennsauken really know about the shenanigans being perpetrated by the board of education and the democraptic big wigs in this township?It is now time to remove these so called servants of the public and put them on the receiving end for a change. Lets give them an early Christmas Present this year and vote them out of office. and Mr. Mcsmith there is a blinking light in the corner of your right eye this known as a board member disipation light and yours and your friends lights just went into overdrive. nexium drag propecia
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