Stuff in the ‘Political Spending and Influence’ Category
Florida Public Schools Get Better Results — Especially for Disadvantaged Kids — for Less than Half the Price
Posted On01/07/2025 byA wake-up call for New Jersey: New Jersey public schools are not nearly as good as the NJEA and Gov. Murphy claim. Florida 4th graders have better academic achievement in both math and reading than New Jersey — especially for disadvantaged children — while spending less than half the money. The NJEA frequently claims that…Read More
As Predicted, NJ’s Fiscal Cliff Arrives. Will Gov. Murphy Do the Bidding of His Government Union Pals and Raise Taxes Again?
Posted On12/06/2024 byAs many, including Sunlight, have long warned, New Jersey is approaching a fiscal cliff. Gov. Murphy is now ordering departments freeze salaries and hiring and reduce budgets by 5%. Murphy claims that he has been a good fiscal steward, but remember that he has increased state spending by over 60% and the current state budget…Read More
Attorney General Platkin: We Must Care About the Rule of Law and Political Corruption ALL THE TIME. But What About Gov. Murphy’s Pals Sean Spiller and Brendan Gill?
Posted On12/03/2024 byMore strong, unequivocal words about the rule of law and political corruption from New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin. According to the New Jersey Globe, Platkin had this to say about President Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter: We can’t care about the rule of law some of the time. We can’t care about corruption…Read More
Strong Words About Politicians and Corruption from AG Platkin and Rep. Sherrill. Will They Apply to Spiller and Gill?
Posted On11/20/2024 byTwo of New Jersey’s leading public officials, Attorney General Matt Platkin and Rep./Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill, had some strong words about New Jersey politicians and corruption. At a press conference, Platkin stated (as quoted by Politico): It’s time for people in positions of authority in this state to spend a little more time questioning…Read More
Once Again, Insider NJ’s Fred Snowflack Flacks for NJEA-Funded Mendacious Michael “Hundreds of Millions” Gottesman and NJPEC.
Posted On11/18/2024 byInsider NJ‘s Fred Snowflack continues to flack for Mendacious Michael “Hundreds of Millions” Gottesman and his NJ Public Education Coalition’s (NJPEC). Once again, Snowflack’s piece reads like a NJPEC press release, and once again he studiously avoids the fact that Gottesman and NJPEC are funded by the NJEA. We ask for the fourth time; why…Read More
Young Teachers Are Forced into a Lousy Pension System. There Is a Better Alternative.
Posted On11/08/2024 byAs our readers know, Sunlight has opined on New Jersey’s public pension crisis, particularly the woeful condition of the teachers’ pension plan, the Teachers Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF). A recent report puts TPAF’s funded ratio at 39% (39 cents set aside for every dollar owed), the “most underfunded in the nation.” We would add…Read More
NJEA 3Q Filing: $7.25 Million Backing Sean Spiller; $550,000 for NJEA-Friendly School Board Candidates and GOTV
Posted On11/05/2024 bySunlight had the opportunity to view another quarterly IRS Form 8872 filing by the NJEA’s Super PAC, Garden State Forward for the July 1 – September 30 period, which was a very busy quarter for Garden State Forward. Here are the notable contributions: Working New Jersey: $7.25 million Education Truth Project: $200,000 (2024 total $300,000)…Read More
Tax Foundation: NJ 49th Among States for Tax Competitiveness: Bottom Two for Nine Years in a Row and Every Year Under Gov. Murphy
Posted On10/31/2024 byThe Tax Foundation came out with its 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index and once again New Jersey has one of the least competitive tax structures in the nation, coming in 49th out of 50, with only New York as less competitive. By comparison, neighboring states Pennsylvania and Delaware came in 34th and 18th, respectively. The…Read More
NJ Ranked 49th Out of 50 States for Financial Condition: A “F” for Every Year Under Gov. Murphy
Posted On10/22/2024 byAnother dismal ranking for New Jersey’s financial condition under Gov. Murphy. New Jersey’s long-term financial condition ranked 49th out of the 50 states, according to Truth In Accounting’s “Financial State of the States 2024.” That’s an improvement from 50th last year, but New Jersey has still been dead last in the nation for 8 of…Read More
NJEA Continues to Pour Money into Education Law Center, NJ Policy Perspective, and NJ Working Families Alliance
Posted On10/09/2024 byThe NJEA’s 2022 IRS Form 990 is finally available, so we can update the NJEA’s funding for its network of allies. The NJEA continues to fund three key allies: the Education Law Center (ELC), New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), and the New Jersey Working Families Alliance (NJWFA), all of whom help to ensure that the…Read More