TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner (D-Mercer), a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, today called on Governor Chris Christie to rethink the budget decisions he laid out in favor of more equitable choices that do not disproportionately affect the state’s most vulnerable.
“I realize that New Jersey is buried underneath a blizzard of red ink and I’m eager and willing to help dig our state out. However, I don’t want the sacrifices and the pain to be inequitable. The job of closing this gap should not fall on the shoulders of those who can least bear to carry the burden. The cuts announced today would disproportionately impact low and middle-income taxpayers, our children, and students struggling to afford the costs of higher education.
“The federal government is focusing a great deal of its education funding on the ‘Race to the Top,’ meanwhile the Governor’s proposal to cuts school aid would devastate some of our districts, primarily those in urban areas, that are racing to get off the bottom. Ultimately, these cuts will hurt our most vulnerable while placing an upward pressure on property taxes at the local level.
“I urge the Governor to reconsider these choices and instead follow through on his pledge for transparency by working with the legislature to identify a more just method for closing the current budget gap,” said Sen. Turner.
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