NJLeftBehind dug into NJ21United’s policy positions and figured out that they extend well beyond COVID-related, school-reopening issues. SPCNJ also dug into NJ21United and concluded the same thing in its just released “Who and What Is NJ21United?” report. SPCNJ’s report also uncovered NJ21United’s deep ties to the NJEA and asks whether NJ21United is another NJEA “dark money” Super PAC, like New Direction New Jersey.
As NJLeftBehind and SPCNJ point out, NJ21United’s policy stances include attacking standardized testing and charter schools. These two non-COVID-related stances are longstanding NJEA policy positions and reflect the real nature of NJ21United.
The bottom line is that NJ21United is not a spontaneous, grassroots movement of parents and teachers, which is how NJ21United wants to portray itself and how press accounts have described them. It is a dark money Super PAC that was launched in 2019 and only pivoted to COVID when the NJEA did.
New Jersey citizens and decision-makers, and the parents who join NJ21United, need to know exactly who and what NJ21United is. And they should ask NJ21United and the NJEA who is funding NJ21United.