TOMS RIVER, NJ – Mikie Sherrill, the far-left progressive Democrat candidate running for governor of New Jersey, is now backpedaling after claiming she wants to force smaller and financially delinquent school districts to merge if she wins in November.
“She is focused on reducing New Jerseyans’ property tax burden by working with school districts to expand shared services for administration and professional services, like transportation, purchasing, and attorneys.”
Sam Chan, deputy communications director for the Sherrill campaign
While Sherrill did not say which districts, she explained which districts would be targeted for a forced merger.
Sherrill said she would force school districts that are not putting enough money into their students, teachers, and facilities, but taking ‘a lot of money’ in property taxes.
It was clear that Sherrill was referring to districts like Lakewood Township, where the state has installed a state monitor and is now fighting the district over legal expenses and educational funding.
“So I’d start by offering, uh, the carrot to help the areas that want to consolidate. But when there are areas that are not putting enough money into ed to students into educators into the buildings and then they are taking a lot of money in property taxes and from the state level, then we’ll have to start to look at compulsory movements,” Sherrill said at the debate.
Today, Sherrill’s minions called Shore News Network, a “right-wing” publication to deflect from their candidate’s ill-chosen platform agenda item.
Instead, Sam Chan, said in situations like Lakewood, Toms River, and Jackson, they would force shared services only, such as transportation and attorneys. This statement comes as Lakewood is fighting to rehire an attorney whom the state feels is grossly overpaid.
The problem is that Mikie Sherrill is new to New Jersey and Sam Chan does not understand, and probably doesn’t care about the problems Toms River, Jackson, and Lakewood are experiencing due to Phil Murphy’s flawed S2 funding formula and the uniqueness of those problems.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the three towns to succeed.
“This is false information from a right-wing publication,” said Sam Chan, deputy communications director for the Sherrill campaign. “Mikie does not support consolidating the Lakewood, Brick, Jackson, and Toms River school districts. She is focused on reducing New Jerseyans’ property tax burden by working with school districts to expand shared services for administration and professional services, like transportation, purchasing, and attorneys.”
Merging anything between Toms River, Lakewood, and Jackson would be a nightmare scenario for public schools. Not transportation. Not attorneys.
By merging busing between the three districts, it would mean merging the Toms River Regional School District and Jackson School District’s transportation departments with the Lakewood Student Transportation Authority, which works with those districts to provide busing for private school students. The LTSA contracts with local school bus companies such as Jay’s Bus Service and others to manage the transportation of Lakewood based private school students who live in Toms River and Jackson.
Mikie Sherrill needs to reconsider her words and return to the table with a Plan C if she wants people in those towns to vote for her.
As for Jack Ciattarelli, his stance was clear and simple. He would support consolidation, but under New Jersey’s home rule, that consolidation would have to be driven by the local districts, not by the governor or the state of New Jersey.
Ciattarelli said that when a school district is failing, there needs to be school choice in the form of school vouchers and charter schools.