(TRENTON) – Assemblywoman Angela McKnight (D-Hudson) on Monday condemned Gov. Christie’s school funding proposal, which she said will disenfranchise students from urban school districts, lead to substantial property tax increases and further hurt struggling communities.
“The governor’s proposal will weaken the quality of education in urban school districts, shortchange students who already have large hurdles to overcome and bankrupt communities,” said McKnight. “This is an injustice masquerading as equality. The governor should be ashamed of himself.”
“The reality is that these districts are dealing with a different reality that makes the need for additional resources essential,” added McKnight. “Instead of working on how to best help these districts overcome these deficiencies so all students can have a chance to succeed, this proposal creates unnecessary divisiveness and pits districts and communities against each other.”
Under the governor’s proposed 2017 budget, the Jersey City School District would get $15,235.01 in per-pupil aid for the 2016-2017 school year. Under the governor’s new funding plan, all districts would receive $6,599 per student.
“These are dramatic reductions. They will disproportionally hurt Black and Brown children. For the governor to say that these drastic cuts would benefits students in urban districts like Jersey City is incredibly disingenuous,” said McKnight. “Enough with the attacks on our most vulnerable communities, and enough with the “divide and conquer” mentality driving this country apart.”