Critics of school funding plan are "uninformed"

| 24 Oct 2017 | 05:16

    I have learned that the Democrat candidates for the state legislature in Legislative District 24 have called my Fair School Funding plan a “sham” and that it would run afoul of the state constitution.
    I strongly disagree with their uninformed opinion.
    Here are the facts. Under my Fair School Funding plan, New Jersey’s school fund would be distributed equitably so that every public school student would receive about $8,000 in state school aid. Based upon current school enrollment levels and state tax revenues, the adoption of my Fair School Funding plan would result in at least $70 million in new school funding aid for Sussex County’s students and taxpayers. This additional money will be used to lower property taxes in your town.
    The Democrats allege that my Fair School Funding plan would never be approved by the New Jersey Supreme Court. They just do not understand how my plan works. A central tenet of the Fair School Funding plan is that it would be implemented via a constitutional amendment ratified by the voters. Thus, like every other constitutional amendment, once approved by the voters, it cannot be declared unconstitutional by the New Jersey Supreme Court.
    Senator Steve Oroho, Assemblyman Parker Space, and Assembly candidate Hal Wirths support my Fair School Funding plan, and have joined me in fighting for more school aid for our students. Our efforts are opposed by the Trenton politicians who support the corrupt status quo and want to deny Sussex, Warren, and Morris Counties our fair share of school aid. With Phil Murphy already promising to raise your taxes by $1.3 billion, now more than ever, taxpayers and working families need Oroho, Space, and Wirths to protect their interests.
    State Sen. Mike Doherty (R-Hunterdon, Somerset, Warren)