N.J. education chief warns legislators of voter wrath after school budget defeats | - NJ.com

N.J. education chief warns legislators of voter wrath after school budget defeats | - NJ.com

N.J. education chief warns legislators of voter wrath after school budget defeats

By Lisa Fleisher/Statehouse Bureau

April 26, 2010, 1:15PM

Star-Ledger photoN.J. Department of Education Commissioner Bret Schundler, shown here being sworn in to testify at his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, warned legislators today that they may suffer a similar fate of the failed school budget votes if they increase taxes on residents.

TRENTON -- In a warning to state lawmakers, Education Commissioner Bret Schundler this morning told members of a budget committee to be wary of raising taxes or risk being thrown out of office.

Schundler said voters could deliver a repeat performance of last week's rejection of 58 percent of school budgets, which he attributed to taxpayers who were fed up with paying for rising benefits and salaries through higher property, income and sales tax rates.

"New Jerseyans know that raising taxes is not the answer," he said. "We need to listen to the voters, lest next year 60 percent of elected officials be rejected."

Previous coverage:

• N.J. voters send message of discontent by shooting down school budgets

• Gov. Chris Christie says N.J. school budget defeats should serve as 'wake up call'

• Two Essex County school election races hang on provisional ballots

• N.J. public school breakfast, private school lunch subsidies to be cut

• Gov. Chris Christie says school budget election results are proof that N.J. voters want change

• Majority of N.J. school budgets rejected for the first time since 1976

• N.J. voters reject school budgets in heated elections

• N.J. school elections Q&A: What happens when school budgets fail

Democrats have criticized Gov. Chris Christie's proposed $29.3 billion budget for not reinstating a tax increase on income over $400,000. Lawmakers in both houses of the state legislature are up for election in 2011.

Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden) said Schundler should watch his words, because they could boomerang on his boss. Greenwald and other Democrats argue that Christie's cuts to municipal and school aid, property tax rebates and other items will result in high property tax increases and more money out of taxpayer's pockets.

"I think the governor should be very worried about that comment," Greenwald said. "He's had probably the single largest tax increase on property taxpayers than any governor since I've been here."

Schundler is testifying in front of the Assembly Budget Committee, his second time in front of the legislature during this year's budget hearings. Schundler said local property taxes that pay for schools likely will go up 4 percent or less this year, which he said was lower than the average increase over the past 10 years. The average New Jersey property tax bill last year rose 3.3 percent, the smallest increase in a decade and the second year in a row taxes were increased less than 4 percent.

Christie's proposed budget cuts $820 million from school funding, sending