Governor’s Line Item Vetoes Will Cost 4th District Schools over $32 Million
Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D-Camden/Gloucester) on Wednesday released figures from a nonpartisan analysis showing that schools in the 4th legislative district will lose out on approximately $32.6 million because of Governor Christie’s line-item budget vetoes.
The Democratic budget supported by Moriarty would have delivered significant increases in aid to many of the school districts in the newly configured 4th district, but Christie sliced this funding by over 10 percent via his line-item vetoes.
“This Governor tours the country talking about education reform, meanwhile at home, residents are well aware that all he has done to impact our public education system is to systematically devalue it,” said Moriarty. “He shows little regard for the needs of students, as well as the needs of taxpayers who are being crushed by his record cuts in aid the last two years.”
At the hands of the Governor’s budget axe, Monroe will lose $11.8 million, a 26.7 percent cut, Black Horse Pike will lose $4.6 million, a 12.7 percent cut, Lindenwold will lose $3.2 million, a 12.3 percent cut, and both Camden and Gloucester County Vocational Schools, combined, will lose $8.5 million, according to an analysis prepared by the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services.
“We put together a democratic budget that increased aid to every school district throughout this state – suburban, rural and urban. This funding was designed to help mitigate the disastrous impact that the Christie cuts had on classrooms last year. Instead, the Governor has decided that the needs of the millionaires in this state are more important than providing an adequate education to the children of working and middle class families,” added Moriarty.
Moriarty noted that democratically supported legislation would have provided increased funding for suburban schools through a two-year surcharge imposed upon 16,000 millionaires. Christie vetoed that legislation, marking the second time he has protected tax cuts for millionaires.