newjerseynewsroom.com

Says Governor should live with consequences of his $1.3 billion cuts to education in New Jersey

Governor Christie Tuesday sent a letter to NJEA President Barbara Keshishian and NJSBA Executive Director Marie Bilik calling on school employees to voluntarily accept a salary freeze for the coming school year, as well as make a contribution to health care benefits equal to 1.5 percent of each employee's salary.

NJEA President Barbara Keshishian issued the following statement in response:

"Gov. Christie has called on school employees to voluntarily subsidize school district budgets in order to make up for the cuts he has imposed already this year, and those he intends to impose in next year's budget.

"In New Jersey, school employees' contracts are negotiated locally, and each local association may decide whether or not to reopen its settled contract. However, NJEA members will not be bullied by this governor into paying for his misguided priorities. Despite his preposterous claim that state funding for education has actually increased, the truth is that the governor has slashed more than $1.3 billion from direct aid to local districts through his executive order last month and the budget he proposed earlier this month. Those are his priorities, and he is responsible for their consequences.

"We are dismayed at this governor's priorities and tactics. He has rejected out of hand the possibility of extending a surtax on the state's wealthiest residents; those individuals making more than $400,000 per year. Under the surtax, they were asked to pay an additional tax on any income over $400,000. That tax amounted to well under 1.5 percent of their total income, but generated enough revenue to fill a large portion of the gap in the governor's education budget.

"Instead, Gov. Christie proposes that all school employees in New Jersey contribute 1.5 percent of their far more modest incomes to fill the education funding gap that his priorities have created. The total impact on income is much greater, since they are also asked to forgo a portion of their contractually negotiated salary. This is a wrong-headed attack on the incomes of middle and working-class New Jersey residents. It is wrong to ask the women and men who work in our schools to take a hit to their incomes while he refuses to ask the same of the wealthiest people in the state.

"In his typical fashion, Gov. Christie is talking at school employees, not with them. He shared his letter with the media well before he shared it with NJEA. If Gov. Christie would ever like to have a genuine discussion, conducted face to face among serious people, rather than through press releases and media stunts, we stand ready to meet with him. But we will not stand by while he attempts to coerce school employees into bearing the full burden of his wrong-headed educational priorities."

— NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM