I recently had the opportunity to attend the League of Women Voters forum dealing with the Abbott District issue. As a legislator, I was hoping to leave from the meeting with some solutions dealing with the fact that the New Jersey State Supreme Court has rejected Governor Jon Corzine’s Abbott District Plan.
The forum was somewhat saddening to me because nothing new was brought to the table in regards to solutions. The only new piece of information that was brought to my attention from the forum was that the public school district of Plainfield and the charter schools of Plainfield are now competing for the students who live here in the city. Since neither side has invited me to a meeting to discuss this issue, I am hoping that they can share their concerns with the commissioner of education, so that this issue does not become a problem for the education system of Plainfield.
It is my understanding that the public school system here in Plainfield has closed the gap in terms of educating our children. The big issue with the public schools versus charter schools is that of safety. I am hoping that in the future, as a community, we can discuss these issues together. This is of vital importance because our children are the ones who will be directly affected. Therefore, we do not want to hurt or punish their ability to gain access to a quality education.
I would like to share with you that Plainfield did not get hurt by the recent court decision regarding the matter of Abbott District funding. The position that I took on this issue was one in which Plainfield benefitted tremendously. The formula that I supported was one that not only helped the 31 Abbott Districts, but also other districts in New Jersey who now face the same educational problems that the city of Plainfield faces. The intent of Gov. Corzine’s Abbott District Plan was to give other districts the ability to gain sound educations.
Let us take Hillside and Roselle for example. In the Sunday Star Ledger, Roselle was identified as having the highest tax increase in the county of Union, while their educational services to the kids of the community ranked as one of the lowest in the state.
Before I supported the governor’s new plan, I was reassured by the State that Plainfield would NOT be hurt, because if we can prove we need funding in specific areas, we will be allowed to receive those funds. When I held a meeting with the educational community leaders in my district, they all agreed that the governor’s formula would not hurt their districts. The choice was to support the formula for Abbott Funding, or not support it because some people in the community did not understand the issue and we would have lost $17 million dollars. I had to make a choice, and the choice I made benefitted Plainfield tremendously. The $17 million in funding is going toward the improvement of Woodland and Cook schools here in the city of Plainfield.
So I am hoping in moving into the first of the year, that the mayor, council, and Board of Education would spend even more time listening to the taxpayers here in the city of Plainfield. With the voice of the Bush Republicans on its way out the door, its replacement seems to be that of Dan Damon and his followers. No matter what we as a community do to foster that of community in our city, it is never enough for them because the effort is not being done by Republicans. If it were up to Dan and his Republican friends here in Plainfield, they would abolish Abbott Districts all together. That is exactly the type of thinking that will cloud the integrity and progressive movement of positive change within our city.
As we are gearing up for the new year, I have yet to see those mentioned individuals who have been critical of the mayor and Rashid Burney, bring ANY solutions to the table with the issues that the city, our city, of Plainfield is facing. Therefore, I challenge not only you, but also myself in ushering in this New Year with the determination and vigor to continue to transform this city from Good, to Better, to BEST!!
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