(TRENTON) – Assembly Budget Chairman Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen) released the following statement after the Assembly Budget Committee heard from the Christie administration on higher educational services:
“I thank Secretary Hendricks for testifying, but the unfortunate fact is that Gov. Christie’s higher education record is less than stellar and costly to New Jersey families.
“The lack of information available from the administration on its proposed higher education merger is shocking. Something this big requires study and analysis, especially when it comes to the finances. I expect much more from the administration.
“But we’ve also seen from Gov. Christie misleading claims on institutional funding, a failure to fulfill higher education campaign promises, funding decisions that have forced colleges and universities to rely more on tuition and fees and the elimination of Rutgers law school legal clinics
“The cuts to the Equal Opportunity Fund and Tuition Aid Grant programs, despite Democratic efforts to properly fund these vital programs for New Jersey’s hard working families, are very concerning.
“New Jersey families struggling to afford college don’t care about partisanship and ideology. They care about doing the right thing, and with that in mind, the governor needs to change his course and demonstrate a commitment to affordable higher education.”