(TRENTON) — Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic/Bergen/Essex) released the following statement on Wednesday as the Assembly Budget Committee heard testimony on Gov. Chris Christie’s cuts to New Jersey colleges and universities:
“New Jersey’s public colleges and universities, community colleges and independent colleges help build the futures of a large swath of students and families, including many from lower-income and middle-class backgrounds.
“Those futures are now at risk under Gov. Christie’s budget plan.
“When we’re talking about growing a competitive and strong New Jersey economy, higher education needs to be a fundamental part of that effort, but I don’t understand how we achieve a robust and competitive economy with budget cuts that would deny college to many.
“Rising tuition bills are a tax under a different name, and under this budget plan, tuition increases will be even more of a hardship for many New Jersey families.”
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