The NJEA (Teachers Union) has a powerful lobby in NJ and as Gov. Christie says, teachers use students like drug mules to spread their lies.
In the town that I live in which has voted Republican in most elections (even 2008), there were a bunch of signs around town from the teachers union saying simply “Vote YES!” for the school budgets. The yes votes prevailed so I get stuck with a 7.5% increase in my already very high property taxes to pay for more wasteful school spending. In 2003 when all the school budgets were approved, every single school in the district had a multi-million dollar expansion. EVERY ONE! And this is a very mature area with no new growth and very steady population numbers.
They sell it with the lies beginning “Lets do this for the kids...”. Teachers unions are such crooks.
The ballots are very misleading, too. They simply state "do you approve of the budget resolution of $x.xx", with no explanation of whether that represents an increase or funding continuation, and an implication that not passing it means no money at all for the school.
There needs to be clearer descriptions of the resolutions on the ballot - but then again, no one would approve them if they did.