Stuff in the ‘Political Spending and Influence’ Category
Working Families, NJ Policy Perspective and Education Law Center: The NJEA’s Million-Dollar Allies
Posted On05/16/2023 byMaking our way through the NJEA’s 2020 IRS filing (the most recent), we now turn to the NJEA’s network of allies. The NJEA has long used its millions of withheld teachers’ dues to fund a variety of groups that augment the NJEA’s pursuit of political influence, often allowing the NJEA to obscure its own role…Read More
Gov. Murphy Fails to Address Learning Loss and then Tries to Hide It by Lowering Education Standards
Posted On05/11/2023 byRarely does the juxtaposition of two events — actually one event and one non-event — paint such a clear picture of reality. Unfortunately, the reality is one of a failure in leadership by Gov. Murphy. First, we have the failing New Jersey Partnership for Student Success (NJPSS). NJPSS was Murphy’s belated effort (launched in December,…Read More
More Indications that Education Truth Project and NJ Public Education Coalition Are NEA/NJEA Fronts
Posted On04/25/2023 byTime for another update on the dark-money Super PAC Education Truth Project (ETP) and its New Jersey affiliate, New Jersey Public Education Coalition (NJPEC). Both organizations were set up to back progressive school board candidates against the wave of parent-activists who ran for school board during the 2022 election cycle and were supported by groups…Read More
By Lowering Standards, Gov. Murphy Seeks to Hide the Learning Loss Caused by His Education Policies
Posted On04/06/2023 byOur friends at NJEdReport published an excellent piece on how “in a fit of dishonesty” Gov. Murphy’s Department of Education (DOE) is seeking to lower the proficiency standards for New Jersey high school students. We urge you to reach the entire piece because it underscores just how low Murphy is willing to stoop to package…Read More
In a Ruthless and Cynical Display of Political Power, Gov. Murphy and the Legislature Undercut Independent Election Watchdog
Posted On04/04/2023 byThe ruthlessness and cynicism of Gov. Murphy and the majority of Democrats in the legislature are breathtaking. How ruthless? The legislature passed and Murphy signed into law the “Elections Transparency Act,” which will permit Murphy to undercut the independence of the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) by unilaterally appointing the four commissioners, who will then…Read More
Urban Institute: NJ Teachers’ Pension Plan Still in Deep Trouble, Projected to be Insolvent in 20 Years
Posted On03/29/2023 byAs Gov. Murphy proposes to pump another $7 billion of the state budget into New Jersey’s unreformed public pension system, Sunlight thought it would be a good time to highlight this reality check from an Urban Institute report entitled “Addressing and Avoiding Severe Fiscal Stress in Public Pension Plans.” The authors examine the 2021 data…Read More
“New Jersey Politics at their Worst:” Gov. Murphy Seeks to Remove Head of Independent Elections Watchdog
Posted On03/22/2023 byAs the Bergen Record‘s Charlie Stile sees it, Gov. Murphy’s move to weaken New Jersey’s independent elections watchdog (ELEC) amounts to “New Jersey politics at their worst.” There’s a lot not to like about the Orwellian-named “Elections Transparency Act” but the weakening of ELEC is the most consequential. The bill looks like it will be passed by…Read More
New ELEC Report: All-Politics-All-the-Time NJEA Spent the Most on Lobbying. By Far.
Posted On03/14/2023 byThank goodness, Gov. Murphy wasn’t able to gut the independence of the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC)! The invaluable ELEC has come out with another of its reports, this time on lobbying expenditures from 2000-2022. Because ELEC deals in hard data, these reports reveal the true state of political spending in New Jersey: once again, New…Read More
Governor Murphy, Your Learning Loss Tutoring Plan Is Failing. What Are You Going To Do About It?
Posted On03/09/2023 byWe already know that, due to COVID-related school closures, New Jersey had some of the worst learning loss in the nation. Fewer than half of New Jersey students were proficient in ELA and only 35% in math on last year’s state tests. As a result, tens of thousands of New Jersey high school students are…Read More
NJ Public Education Coalition: the NJEA’s Dark Money and Shadowy Network of Allies Try to Intimidate School Boards
Posted On03/07/2023 byThe plot thickens. Now we see two shadowy progressive organizations join together to fight parents who have challenged the NJEA’s progressive agenda, especially those parents elected to school boards. All signs point to the dark money behind this combined effort coming from the NJEA. Apparently, unable to get teachers involved in its school board fights,…Read More