POLITICKERNJ – March 24 2010

Stung in the burbs, unlikely allies Sarlo and Doherty want Abbott numbers probe

By Max Pizarro | March 23rd, 2010 - 1:10pm

PARAMUS - They're an unlikely twosome at the front of the room: the ramrod Republican former Army captain from rural New Jersey and the fast-talking small town mayor from polyglot Bergen, but early in the budget process they have their doubts about Abbott School District funding.

"We want to know what the various scenarios are, what are the numbers exactly, because the cuts to the suburban schools as proposed are so devastating," state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D--Wood-ridge), chair of the budget committee, told PolitickerNJ.com. "I'm going to put in the request today to the governor's office." 

State Sen. Michael Doherty (R-Washington Twp.) likewise wants a deeper probe of Abbott School District appropriations before he affirms Gov. Chris Christie's $28.3 billion 2011 budget as proposed. 

"If you look at the percentage of money for Abbott schools last year, it was 55.6%, and this year's proposal is 60.2%," said Doherty in a committee hearing break, moments after conferring with Sarlo.

"At worst, we expected that percentage to stay the same - but a nine percent increase?" asked Doherty, from Warren County. "I have concerns. Questions. My school districts have been lean and mean for years. I don't have $5 million for athletic fields. When people want fields and parking lots, the road department gets their equipment and builds it for free."

Doherty argues that too much fear of consitutional backlash pervades decisions regarding Abbott School funding. "Abbott's been riding high on the hog for years," he said.

"Ironic," Sarlo called his budget foxhole alliance with Doherty. "But the point is, I've got 27 school districts in Bergen County that are getting no school aid. We're talking about some of the finest chool districts in the state."

That point aside, their political divide was still evident throughout the hearing, and particularly at the beginning, as Doherty weathered several Democratic Party drop-kicks to the Republican governor. Prior to a long caravan of special interest charity and education groups worried about cuts, Doherty admitted politics was the driving force behind several of the testimonials.

"The Blue Laws comments," he said, referring to Democrats at the microphone. "That's their campaign for the fall. As far as I know, we're at a discussion point with this. Probably if Gov. Christie determined that this is a local issue, they would still push it as a campaign theme."

Sarlo didn't disagree, but also said a lot of vulnerable people here - beyond simply the standard schools - would feel significant impact.

"There is a lot of pain being felt," said the budget committee chairman after one especially affectng testimony from special needs children in wheelchairs speaking in electronic voices. "These are people who do not want to be dependent on state government but who are, through no fault of their own