Deems Cut an ‘Assault on the Middle-Class’
(4th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT) — Assemblyman Paul Moriarty on Tuesday asked Gov. Chris Christie to find an alternative to his plan to cut funding for the valuable New Jersey After 3 program.
“This cut is an assault on the middle-class,” Moriarty said. “It’s also particularly unfair because it comes in the middle of a school year. We need to find alternatives that don’t burden hard-working middle-class families and put the education of our children at risk.”
New Jersey After 3 is a statewide network of afterschool programs serving more than 12,500 children and their families across 114 urban, suburban and rural school districts, but Christie seeks to eliminate $5.2 million due the program for this school year. Moriarty said the cuts will, for instance, impact 490 children and their parents and 50 jobs just in Glassboro and Lindenwold.
“Budget cuts are certainly in order, but they can’t be done blindly without regard to the impact and long-term consequences they will have on our families and children,” Moriarty said. “This program is a cost-effective model that keeps kids safe, improves student achievement and allows families to work full-time. This is exactly the kind of program we need to protect during tough economic times, not threaten with closure.”
Moriarty said his office has received about 300 e-mails supporting the program.
“The idea that the governor is paying someone $60,000 a year to post on the Internet but cutting this program is inconceivable,” Moriarty said. “We need a smarter approach.”
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