Assembly Budget Committee Vice-Chair Says Governor Shows Disregard for Some of the Most Vulnerable While Sitting on Healthy Surplus
Assembly Budget Committee Vice-Chair Gary S. Schaer (D-Bergen/Essex/Passaic) called Governor Christie’s decision to cut funding restored in the democratic budget for educational services to assist blind and visually-impaired children a short-sighted move based on falsehoods.
“During our budget hearings, we heard testimony from children and their parents about the many ways in which the teachers and the technology provided through this program have helped them overcome obstacles and thrive.
“What became clear is that the Governor’s proposed cut means a loss of roughly 20 teachers, or one-third of the educators in the program. Yet despite this loss, the administration remains unwilling to detail how it would impact the children served by this program.
“The Governor is sitting on a $600 million surplus, a sizeable sum even in a healthy economy. The Governor says the state can’t afford this program, or a number of other worthwhile programs, but the surplus he’s banked tells a different story,” said Schaer (D-Bergen/Essex/Passaic).