New NJEA-Backed Super PAC Will Be Run by Millionaire NJEA Execs. How Much More Teachers’ Dues Will Go into Their Bank Accounts?
Posted On08/23/2024 byWe decided to take a deeper dive into new NJEA-backed Super PAC, Working New Jersey As the name implies, and as Working NJ’s ELEC filing states, its purpose is to back a candidate (widely assumed to be NJEA President and NJEA-endorsed Sean Spiller) who supports “working New Jersey families and who understands the struggles…Read More
The NJEA Has Created a New Super PAC to Spend $35 Million to Support NJEA President Spiller’s Run for Governor. Will NJ Teachers Pay for All of It?
Posted On08/20/2024 byKudos to Politico for staying on top of NJEA President/former-Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller’s run for governor. A new Super PAC, Working New Jersey (Working NJ), has filed with New Jersey’s elections watchdog, looking to spend $35 million to get Spiller the Democratic nomination for the 2025 governor’s race. According to the filing, Working NJ’s objective…Read More
Correction: Former-NJEA Exec Ed Richardson Was Paid $846,488 a Year for 11 Years
Posted On08/13/2024 byWe’ll admit it. We were wrong. We were wrong when we reported that former-NJEA Executive Director Ed Richardson was paid $9.3 million over his 13 years as a NJEA exec, or an average of $716,259 a year. It turns out that we mistakenly understated Richardson’s compensation. It is true that, according to the IRS, Richardson…Read More
National Data Confirms Why the Rowan Undergrad Chose Not to Teach: Student Misbehavior Is Negatively Impacting Schools and Teachers
Posted On07/25/2024 byJust as Sunlight reported on a Rowan University student’s choice not to become a teacher due to the negative effects of increased student misbehavior, the National Center for Education Statistics came out with new data that confirms what the Rowan undergrad said. The numbers are shocking. They are national, but surely they reflect the reality…Read More
Rowan Student: Post-COVID Increase in Student Misbehavior Drove Her Away from Teaching as a Career. Why Is the NJEA Silent About this Problem?
Posted On07/23/2024 bySunlight has documented the statewide, post-COVID increase in student misbehavior and in-school violence that has stretched and stressed teachers. These problems have not gone away (here, here, and here). Yet New Jersey’s largest teachers union, the NJEA, has done nothing to address this major problem. Now, it’s starting to negatively affect the way college students…Read More
CNBC Rankings Confirm NJ Is a Lousy Place To Do Business under Gov. Murphy — And It’s Getting Worse
Posted On07/18/2024 byAccording to CNBC, New Jersey continues to be a lousy place to do business under Gov. Murphy. And it is getting worse. CNBC came out with its annual Top States for Doing Business and New Jersey ranked 25th, which is down from 19th in 2023. The categories where New Jersey needs improvement: Business Friendliness: 49th….Read More
A Record Amount of Taxable Income Fled NJ in 2022: Who Will Pay for Gov. Murphy’s Unsustainable Spending?
Posted On07/12/2024 byThe Wall Street Journal reported on the continuing exodus of people and money from big-government, high-tax states — including New Jersey — to smaller-government, lower-tax states. Here is the IRS data for gains and losses in net Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for 2022: Top Losers: California -$23.8 billlion New York -$14.2 billion Illinois -$9.8 billion…Read More
FY2025 Budget: Our Status Quo Governor Takes Care of His Government Union Pals While Leaving His State with an Unsustainable Budget
Posted On07/08/2024 byGov. Murphy is a status quo governor. He was elected with the support of New Jersey’s powerful, taxpayer-funded government unions, especially its largest, the NJEA, which spent over $20 million supporting Murphy. Murphy has repaid the favor by largely governing for their benefit. The FY2025 budget is no exception. Another record-high budget at $56.6 billion…Read More
NJEA VP Beatty Finally Admits NJEA’s Super PAC Exists and Is Funded by Teachers’ Dues But Still Keeps the Truth from Teachers
Posted On07/02/2024 byAt long last, a top NJEA leader has admitted that the NJEA’s Super PAC, Garden State Forward, actually exists and is funded by teachers’ regular, annual dues. After years of prodding by Sunlight, the Star-Ledger, and now Politico, NJEA Vice President Steve Beatty took to the pages of the New Jersey Globe to acknowledge that…Read More
After Reporting on an Undisclosed $3 Million Contribution to Spiller’s Super PAC, We Now Learn that NJEA’s Total Contribution Is $8 Million – ALL from Teachers’ Regular Dues
Posted On07/01/2024 byWe wanted to follow up on Sunlight’s new report, which revealed that NJEA leadership — including NJEA President Spiller — contributed $3 million to Spiller’s personal Super PAC, Protecting Our Democracy in 2022. Notably, this contribution was not reported to New Jersey’s campaign finance watchdog and thus was unknown to the public, including the teachers…Read More