Free Republic

New Jersey is in deep financial trouble, and government estimates keep get ting worse. The most recent budget deficit prediction tripled the last one, concluding that the state might be $1.2 billion in the hole. The bad news doesn't end there. The economic slowdown is prompting many families who can no longer afford both taxes and private school tuition to move their children into public schools. Catholic elementary schools in the Diocese of Camden, for instance, have lost almost 1,000 students, about 10 percent of their enrollment from last year. And those declining enrollment figures came before the worst of...

When Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast, Americans criticized the government for its abysmal response and gave over $4 billion to private charities. The Red Cross opened thousands of shelters, provided millions of meals, and bestowed billions in financial assistance to devastated families. Americans have been conditioned to turn to the government for relief when disaster strikes. But when the state’s response proves inept, as it regularly does, private citizens step up to help. The same is true of Arizona’s public school system. With 48 percent of fourth graders scoring "below basic" on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)...

Take a deep breath. Now exhale. Does that make you feel like you deserve a raise? If so, you understand the concept of the so-called "breathing bonus." And you also understand one of the main reasons New Jersey has the most expensive public school system of any state. One of the few useful results to come out of those legislative committees on property tax reform was an admission of just how costly it is to put a kid through New Jersey's public schools: $16,000 a year. That figure was included in the report of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public...

Rudy Guiliani has marched in lockstep with liberals on affirmative action, gay rights, gay marriage, gun control, school prayer, tuition tax credits, liberal immigration policies, and he's reinforced it, time and time again. Just about everytime Rudy opens his mouth, offensive liberal words come pouring out. As Mayor, Rudy put liberals in high-paid city jobs, an indication what a Rudy WH would look like. Here then is Rudy in his own words: --The New York State Liberal Party on its endorsement of Rudy Giuliani for Mayor: "When the Liberal Party Policy Committee reviewed a list of key social issues of...

Many people are unaware of the fact that the Urban Scholarship Bill, which promises to bring as many as 20,000 educational scholarships to children in the poorest New Jersey districts, is being held up by Senator Shirley Turner. Everyone should call to Senator Shirley Turner (609-530-3277) SenTurner@njleg.org, and explain the importance of providing better educational opportunities for the children who are trapped in the worst schools in our state. As a stateswomen of her community, it is of the utmost importance that she help the poor and downtrodden she represents. This is simply a matter of doing the right thing for the...

City JournalWon’t Someone Stop This Tragedy?Bloomberg’s education campaign is driving Gotham’s Catholic schools out of business.Sol Stern 18 April 2006 Something precious in the lives of many deserving New Yorkers is slowly dying in Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s glittering city. The New York Catholic Archdiocese recently announced that it would close 14 schools, following on last year’s announcement by the Archdiocese of Brooklyn that it would shutter 22 of its schools in Brooklyn and Queens. Located in some of Gotham’s neediest neighborhoods, these schools have served for over a century as a haven for low-income but striving families. Many of...

More than 1,000 Celebrate Fourth Anniversary of Pennsylvania Tax CreditOn what turned out to be a stunningly beautiful day, more than 1,000 parents and children joined state legislators at Pennsylvania’s Capitol in Harrisburg on May 10 to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the state’s landmark Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC).Signed into law in 2001 by former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (R), the EITC provides tax credits ranging from 75 percent to 90 percent to companies contributing to nonprofit scholarship, educational improvement, and pre-kindergarten scholarship organizations. Nearly $27 million is allocated annually for scholarships, a little more than $13 million...

A report released Tuesday shows tuition tax credits could save the state millions of dollars every year, supporting a failed proposal by a Utah County lawmaker earlier this year. "I think what it does is emphasizes the financial benefits," said Royce Van Tassell, executive director of Education Excellence Utah, a group that supports tuition tax credits. "The choice is pretty clear -- either have a dramatic tax increase or enact tuition tax credits." However, Carol Murphy, president of the Utah School Boards Association, doesn't think the study results give a green light to tuition tax credits. She plans to take...

WHEN my wife and I bought a house re cently, we narrowed our choices to two. Like many families, our decision came down to the quality of the local schools. One of the homes was in a neighborhood with schools at the top of the state's assessments, while the other had mediocre schools. Not surprisingly, the first house had a higher price and real-estate taxes.Come federal income tax time, we'll receive a heftier refund from our mortgage interest and real-estate taxes deduction. In other words, taxpayers across the nation will be subsidizing our choice of a better school for our...

School vouchers still a tough sell in New JerseyBy DIANE D’AMICO Education Writer, (609) 272-7241, E-Mail NEWARK - Does New Jersey have "school choice?" It depends on your definition. Charter schools, "choice" public schools and vocational schools all offer students the opportunity to attend a school outside of the public school in their hometown. But the next step - giving parents vouchers so their children can attend private or parochial schools at public expense, has not gained a strong foothold in the state. It's certainly not for lack of trying. Excellent Education for Everyone, or E3, has been actively lobbying...

STATE ORDERED TO REIMBURSE PARENTS FOR SECTARIAN SCHOOL For the first time, a federal court has ordered a school district to reimburse parents for costs incurred in sending their child to a sectarian school. In A.W. v. Highland Park Board of Education, U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper reversed an administrative law judge to find A.W.'s parents were entitled to reimbursement of tuition and costs at Sinai Special Needs Institute in Livingston, a private school for the disabled. The decision went one step further from the recent ruling in L.M. v. Evesham Township Board of Education, which found that in...