In home stretch, Forrester, Schundler talk education

MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) -- Entering the home stretch in the Republican gubernatorial primary, front-runners Doug Forrester and Bret Schundler talked property taxes and what those taxes pay for: public education.

At breakfast meeting of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, the candidates also talked about reining in spending, private school vouchers and the state Supreme Court decision that attempts to give New Jersey's poorest school districts a boost.

The breakfast Friday in Middlesex County marked one of the last joint appearances by the two candidates before the primary election on Tuesday. All seven GOP gubernatorial candidates are expected to appear at a televised debate on WCBS on Sunday.

Schundler has pitched a plan he contends will reduce property taxes by controlling spending at all levels of government, specifically through limits imposed by a constitutional amendment. The plan, Schundler said, would enable the state provide towns and schools almost full funding. But without spending controls, there would be no guarantee of a property tax reduction, he said.

Most affected by his plan would be spending by the 31 school districts identified in the Abbott v. Burke state Supreme Court decision. Schundler faulted the decision as having led to too much money being poured into some districts and not enough in others.

Forrester offered sharp criticism for the Abbott decision, calling the ruling flawed. He said that if elected governor, he would seek to overturn the decision by appointing conservative state Supreme Court justices.

The next governor is expected to make at least two appointments to the court.

On the topic of school vouchers, Schundler said he continues to support vouchers to give parents a choice of where they send their children to be educated.

Forrester opposes vouchers but said he supports public charter schools.

Meanwhile, Forrester picked up an endorsement from The New York Times in the newspaper's Saturday editions. The Times said Forrester leans more closely to the moderate model that has worked for New Jersey Republicans in the past.

Schundler's campaign on Saturday released a statement, saying his candidacy has been endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee. In a letter accompanying the statement, the committee said its endorsement reflected Schundler's "steadfast support for restoring legal protection for innocent life."

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