Property Taxes Could Sink Chris Christie in New Jersey

Wall Street Journal ^ | October 30, 2009 | Paul Mulshine

[reaganaut1]

New Jersey Republican Chris Christie, who hopes to unseat Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in next Tuesday's election, is a former U.S. attorney who locked up more than 130 public officials on corruption charges. But what New Jersey needs is a governor willing to confront the state's Supreme Court over who is in charge of school funding. And Mr. Christie has shown no stomach for that fight.

New Jersey's constitution gives the state legislature the power to distribute proceeds of the state's income tax to aid local education and partially relieve the burden of property taxes. But in a succession of school-funding cases over the years, the state Supreme Court has taken control of the $11 billion Property Tax Relief Fund.

The result is a perennial property-tax crisis. The court sends more than half of the state aid to 31 largely urban "special needs" school districts, the special needs of which were for the most part created by decades of Democratic mismanagement. The remaining 554 largely suburban towns fight over the rest.

Perhaps the best example of the court's profligacy is Asbury Park. With beautiful beaches and historic downtown served by a train line to Manhattan, the city could rank among the most desirable destinations on the coast. But a succession of corrupt and incompetent administrations turned the town into a wasteland.

The public schools produce dismal test scores. Yet thanks to the court they are subsidized at almost incomprehensible levels. The city gets $29,895 per-pupil annually in education aid from the state. The total per-pupil cost exceeds $35,000 annually— enough to ship the kids off to prep schools where they would get top-notch schooling and room and board. The average per-pupil cost across the state is about $18,000.

[reaganaut1]

The relative performance of schools depends much more of the demographics of the students attending than on how much money is spent, but it's politically incorrect to mention that. The Wall Street Journal might have to reconsider its open-borders, pro-amnesty immigration policies.

[Marty62]

When did this story come out before or AFTER the Corzine Officials arrest for drungs etc. AND FOR SELL DRUGS to boot.

[Carley]

Mulshine is a Star Ledger reporter. Ledger has endorsed Daggett.

Anything this guy writes is self serving and has little bearing on truth.

[101voodoo]

Author is a liberal and he has written the article in that manner. He claims the race was supposed to be a “runaway” for Christi. How absurd is that? IN NJ, a I Have lived here my whole life, the Rep candidate ALWAYS comes out way on top in the early polls and by election day the dopey libs in this State meekly pull the lever to re elect the tax raising Lefty and then IMMEDIATELY resume their pathetic WHINING about the high taxes.

[Menehune56]

Corzine is a disaster and absolutely must be replaced. To do that NJ conservatives need to support the candidate they have, not the candidate they wish they had.

[La Lydia]

How is that going to sink Christie? I don’t get it.

[Tired of Taxes]

You really do have an agenda here, and for a long time, you’ve been posting article after article trying to convince everyone that they would have no problems if only there wasn’t this subset of people dragging them down.

Here’s the real deal: Here where I live in NJ, our property taxes are outrageously high because every little town has its own school district. Because that’s what people voted for. I could care less if my family’s money is going to the local school or somewhere else. Wherever it goes, it’s being taken from us, and that’s all that matters.

If any particular “demographic” is so superior that other people are dragging them down, here’s an idea: Drop the whole idea of “free” public education, and let everyone fend for themselves. If these other children are so superior, why do we need to fork over thousands of dollars every year paying teachers to hold their hands and tell them what to learn? Once a child can read and understand, he should be able to learn independently.

[southernnorthcarolina]

But what New Jersey needs is a governor willing to confront the state's Supreme Court over who is in charge of school funding. And Mr. Christie has shown no stomach for that fight.

Again with the fat jokes. They just can't resist.

[Old Retired Army Guy]

I picked up on that also and wondered why the WSJ was running it?

[kingu]

Wow, really don’t get this article at all. It spells out pretty clearly that the court isn’t balancing the other two branches, but instead trying to replace them, yet the headline indicates that this is somehow going to harm the Republican candidate?

Since when does a liberal fight against teacher (and administrator) unions getting more money?

$35,000 per pupil though... 20 students in a class, that’s $700,000 a year, but then it’s only 10 months, so that’s $70,000 per month. The teacher is likely getting $7,000 of that in cash, probably $2,400 of that in benefits... Where the heck is the other $60,000 per month going to?

I really need to get into the education business, man, what a scam they got going.

[Carley]

The WSJ has guest editorials that turn my stomach. The comPost allows conservatives to write a guest editorial now and then.

NYSlimes, never!!!

[napscoordinator]

I am glad that I am not in NJ. It would be so hard to vote for that RINO fat-ass Christie...what an embarassment for Republicans have to vote for.

[RedMonqey]

Mulshine, the author maybe a liberal but what he is saying sounds like sweet music to this conservative’s ear. Cristie's refusal to address the property tax abuse makes him appear to be another RINOand has blown the race by being too wishy washy.

Based on the facts presented, I'd vote for the independent CONSERVATIVE.

[Carley]

The independent is supported and funded by the Sierra Club.

Conservative, my foot.