TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner (D-Mercer) today released the following statement on Governor Christie’s proposed fiscal year 2011 budget and the impact it will have on New Jersey’s educational system:
“The Governor’s proposed budget does not bode well for the future of our state or our children. Given the competitive nature of the global economy, now is the time when we should be providing our students with more educational opportunities, not less. If anything, this budget will only serve to exacerbate the ‘brain drain’ problem in our state.
“Aid cuts to public and private colleges, coupled with cuts in tuition aid grants, the Educational Opportunity Fund and the STARS scholarship program, will severely handicap those aspiring to continue their education. These cuts are even more devastating in light of the fact that so many families these days do not have the financial means to shoulder the cost of higher education for their children.
“The overwhelming cuts to school and municipal aid will inevitably cause property tax rates to skyrocket. Furthermore, the elimination of rebates to seniors and the disabled will have a devastating impact on the people who need it most. I know firsthand that the majority of my constituents rely on these rebates, in fact they wait for them, before they pay their property taxes. These are the people who can least afford to jump off the cliff with the Governor.”
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