Author Archive
Gov. Murphy’s FY2024 Budget: Nice Talking Points for a White House Run, But Not Much More
Posted On03/03/2023 byWith Gov. Murphy’s proposed budget in the news, Sunlight thought we should provide our brief take on it. We thought columnist Charlie Stile had it about right: Murphy’s budget is “less about New Jersey and more about polishing his White House appeal.” Just so. Record state government spending. Again. Murphy’s FY2024 (July 2023 to June…Read More
NJEA Continues to Pump Millions of Teachers’ Dues Into Dark Money PACs Supporting Gov. Murphy
Posted On03/02/2023 byKudos to Ashley Balcerzak and northjersey.com for continuing their excellent work on Gov. Murphy’s dark-money Super PAC, Stronger Fairer Forward, widely believed to be aimed at a potential White House run. Not only have they scoured federal records, they apparently have someone who has access to the NJEA’s contribution records and is willing to leak them. This…Read More
A New NJEA Executive Director Takes Over: Large HQ Staff Cuts, Boosting Membership Is Top Priority
Posted On02/27/2023 bySunlight learned some interesting facts from the NJEA’s interview with incoming Executive Director Kevin Kelleher: NJEA headquarters staff has shrunk dramatically; Kelleher and the NJEA’s first priority is boosting membership; and, relatedly, a continued focus on member’s values and priorities. All arrows point to declining NJEA membership. NJEA Headquarters staff cut by -27%: The NJEA’s…Read More
Fewer Teachers Are Joining the NJEA’s Parent Union; What Is the NJEA’s Actual Membership Level?
Posted On02/21/2023 byThe National Education Association (NEA) is the NJEA’s parent organization and the largest labor union in the nation. But absent mergers the NEA has actually lost members, which would align with Sunlight’s thesis that the NJEA has also lost members. Of course, the NJEA hides its actual membership level, so we are forced to infer…Read More
Governor Murphy, Amid Signs of NJDOE Failure, Where Is Your Update on Your Plan to Remediate Learning Loss?
Posted On02/16/2023 byGov. Murphy’s Department of Education (NJDOE) looks like its failing on multiple fronts, yet Murphy has nothing to say about it. The always attentive NJEdReport published a piece yesterday entitled “New Analysis Shows New Jersey Is Failing the Reading Test,” describing a new study that found that NJDOE has failed in promoting literacy programs in…Read More
Most States Are Reducing Tax Rates; Gov. Murphy Raised Tax Rates to Increase Government Spending
Posted On02/03/2023 byThanks to Gov. Murphy and his accommodation of tax-thirsty government unions — who also happen to be his biggest political supporters — New Jersey continues to be a negative outlier when it comes to taxes. Last week Sunlight reported on New Jersey’s exceptionally high corporate tax rate and how a faux-coalition of government unions and…Read More
NJEA President/Montclair Mayor/2025 Gubernatorial Hopeful Sean Spiller Is in Hot Water Again
Posted On01/31/2023 byNJEA President/Montclair Mayor/2025 gubernatorial hopeful Sean Spiller again finds himself in hot water, as explained by this recent Star-Ledger news report. Spiller has been named in a lawsuit filed by Montclair’s CFO, which claims that Spiller retaliated against her after she questioned certain business practices in Spiller’s administration. Sunlight believes it is beyond our purview…Read More
Full-Time NJEA Employee on Randolph BOE Has a Conflict of Interest Unless She Recuses Herself
Posted On01/27/2023 byLast week, Sunlight pointed out that NJEA Field Rep/West Orange BOE (WOBOE) President Brian Rock has a serious and actionable conflict of interest. Rock’s position as a full-time NJEA employee makes his case different from that of a teacher serving on a school board, and the incentives his job creates runs afoul of the laws…Read More
Don’t Be Fooled: “For the Many” Is Government Unions Pushing to Keep NJ Taxes the Highest in the Nation
Posted On01/25/2023 byTwo news items appeared in Sunlight’s inbox yesterday, and their juxtaposition tells you all you need to know about New Jersey’s special-interest-dominated status quo and the very high taxes that go with it. This malign status quo is why New Jersey was ranked dead last in the nation for its tax climate for businesses —…Read More
NJEA Field Rep as West Orange School Board President Is a Substantial and Actionable Conflict of Interest
Posted On01/19/2023 byA friend of Sunlight’s in West Orange informed us that NJEA Field Representative Brian Rock was elected president of the West Orange school board (WOBOE). While we know that several hundred NJEA members have run for school board and other political offices, these have largely been teachers, not full-time employees of the NJEA like Rock. As…Read More