The Record: Governor overstepped
THE RECORD
THE SHOWDOWN between Governor Christie and the state teachers union is well known. Christie wants contract concessions in the form of wage freezes. The New Jersey Education Association isn't budging. Only one of 99 school districts in Bergen and Passaic counties has agreed to static wages. So far, it's been a stalemate.
On Monday, the governor attacked from another angle. He urged voters to vote down their school budgets on April 20 in communities in which teachers have not opted for a wage freeze, Staff Writer Patricia Alex reported.
Telling voters which way to vote is stepping over the line, even for a governor with a straight-shooter reputation. It is wrong for two reasons: First, voters have no say in teacher contracts. Those are crafted separately from school budgets. So voting down those budgets will only mean more cuts from the already lean offering.
Second, although we applaud Christie's call for teacher wage freezes, we do not like this tactic. Taxpayers, not the governor or any other elected state official, know what is best for their districts. They have the right and the responsibility to determine if a school budget reflects the educational needs and the financial constraints of their respective communities.
We are pleased that Education Commissioner Bret Schundler on Tuesday told a Senate budget committee he would not recommend that voters reject budgets.
On Monday, the governor attacked from another angle. He urged voters to vote down their school budgets on April 20 in communities in which teachers have not opted for a wage freeze, Staff Writer Patricia Alex reported.
Telling voters which way to vote is stepping over the line, even for a governor with a straight-shooter reputation. It is wrong for two reasons: First, voters have no say in teacher contracts. Those are crafted separately from school budgets. So voting down those budgets will only mean more cuts from the already lean offering.
Second, although we applaud Christie's call for teacher wage freezes, we do not like this tactic. Taxpayers, not the governor or any other elected state official, know what is best for their districts. They have the right and the responsibility to determine if a school budget reflects the educational needs and the financial constraints of their respective communities.
We are pleased that Education Commissioner Bret Schundler on Tuesday told a Senate budget committee he would not recommend that voters reject budgets.