Legislator Responds to 'The Record' About the Record on NJ School Choice

New Jersey Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer (D)

 "I support public schools and have been a staunch advocate for increased funding so they can better accomplish their vital goals. But public schools don’t work for everyone, and consistently failing schools work for no one."

New Jersey Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer (D) wrote an editorial in the New Jersey paper The Record on what the state's proposed Opportunity Scholarship Act will really mean for New Jersey.  In response to a March 5 editorial, which called the voucher program “flawed,” Assemblyman Schaer set the record straight on the OSA:

A coordinated and holistic approach to education in our state that includes OSA and charter schools recognizes that diverse educational models can best meet the challenge of our diverse educational needs.

State officials, as well as local decision makers and parents, should be more concerned that taxpayer dollars are being used to provide our children with an excellent education, whether they attend a public, private or parochial school.

In his response, Schaer—a primary sponsor of the bill and a member of the New Jersey General Assembly since 2006—broke down every argument The Record set for against vouchers.  As Assemblyman Schaer says, the OSA—which would create a corporate scholarship tax credit program for kids in failing school districts—it’s all about preparing New Jersey’s children for a great future.

While The Record is concerned that tax dollars will be spent at private schools, Assemblyman Schaer points out that public money has been used across the nation to create success stories:

Tax dollars are already being used to pay for private education in New Jersey and nationally. Federal Pell Grants, the GI Bill and subsidized student loans have all been used to pay for tuition at private universities – and have all helped spur millions of success stories in America.

Schaer continues, debunking The Record’s claim that the OSA will hurt public schools:

In New Jersey, the state aid funding formula is based on a concept of “money following the student.” The amount of money districts would keep for every student who accepts a scholarship would drastically increase per-pupil spending in these districts while decreasing class sizes in the most troubled schools.

With this in mind, the assertion that OSA will hurt schools – and, thus, children – is unjustified.

In the end, Schaer focuses on what is best for our children:

But for children who suffer in these failing schools today – some of whom are being primed for a life of failure – the OSA offers a fighting chance for a future. If we can save just one child, then we’re doing the right thing.

[…]

A coordinated and holistic approach to education in our state that includes OSA and charter schools recognizes that diverse educational models can best meet the challenge of our diverse educational needs.

State officials, as well as local decision makers and parents, should be more concerned that taxpayer dollars are being used to provide our children with an excellent education, whether they attend a public, private or parochial school.

Together, our job is to ensure all New Jersey’s children are prepared for the future.

We applaud Assemblyman Schaer for defending the OSA and for standing up for children and fighting for real educational options!

- American Federation for Children  | Alliance for School Choice, MSG