NJ Spotlight--Lawmakers Want to Borrow $1B for Education Items but Leave Voters with Final Say
Bipartisan support to ask voters for massive bond. The money would go to school security, technical training, and cleaning up school water. Will governor sign on?
A proposed $1 billion bond question on the November ballot to fund a range of education-facility upgrades won overwhelming bipartisan support as it moved through the Legislature in recent weeks. Now, Gov. Phil Murphy must decide whether New Jersey voters should have the final say this fall.
John Reitmeyer | July 9, 2018
NJ Spotlight--Opinion: New Jersey Scores Another Own Goal with ‘Horrendous’ Tax Choices
Garden State’s competitiveness severely weakened by political leaders’ budget deal. Taking the easy way out, they made worst possible policy decisions
If I were asked to make a list of tax policy changes that would do maximum harm to New Jersey’s competitive position and long-term economic vitality, I would have a hard time improving upon the last-minute budget compromise announced on June 30. The months of budget brinksmanship might have been worthwhile had they resulted in a better budget supported by better tax policy. But, alas, once again New Jersey’s leaders took the easy way out while making some of the worst tax policy choices possible.
Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff | July 9, 2018
Star Ledger--These high schools have the top SAT scores in each of N.J.'s 21 counties
Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com| Posted July 09, 2018 at 07:02 AM | Updated July 09, 2018 at 07:06 AM
Star Ledger--The least educated town in each of N.J.'s 21 counties
Disha Raychaudhuri | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com| Posted July 07, 2018 at 04:01 AM | Updated July 07, 2018 at 04:01 AM
Star Ledger--N.J. may force school districts to raise taxes. Is yours affected?
New Jersey is about to require tax hikes in as many as 30 school districts as part of an under-the-radar maneuver so rare that school officials themselves are still trying to figure out who is affected.
The state's new school funding plan adds $400 million in aid to schools and, in theory, will provide tax relief for some homeowners once Gov. Phil Murphy signs off on it. The plan is meant to even out aid, shifting money from districts considered overfunded to those considered underfunded.
Adam Clark| Updated Jul 6; Posted Jul 6
The Atlantic-- The Problem With Generalizing About ‘America’s Schools’
It’s an abstraction that has obscured the true workings of the country’s education system for decades.
Thirty-five years ago, in April of 1983, Ronald Reagan appeared before the press to publicize a government report warning of “a rising tide of mediocrity” that had begun to erode America’s education system. Were such conditions imposed by an unfriendly foreign power, the authors declared, “we might well have viewed it as an act of war.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/07/americas-schools/564413/
Jack Schneider|Jul 5, 2018