Governor Chris Christie has signed a measure that could move Verona school board elections to November from April and eliminate a public vote on the school budget. As we noted earlier this month, Senate bill 3148 establishes a way for school districts, their towns and even voters themselves to move the annual school election...
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Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. (center), Governor Chris Christie (right) and Port Authority of NY/NJ Deputy Director Bill Baroni unveil a 7,400-pound steel and concrete artifact from the World Trade Center during a ceremony at the Essex County Eagle Rock September 11th Memorial on Tuesday, September 6. The artifact was installed at...
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Last Friday, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey unveiled a plan that could raise your cost at the Hudson River bridges and tunnels to $14 from $8 one way beginning next month. PATH train fares would jump to $2.75 from $1.75, also starting in September. The Port Authority says the massive toll...
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The other day, Gov. Chris Christie issued a press release trumpeting the fact that his administration will be increasing state aid to school districts around New Jersey by $850 million under the new budget. As he noted in his prepared statement, this restores all the money that he cut in the previous budget cycle...
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That loud clang you heard this morning was the sound of a major chink being driven into the armor of the teachers union in New Jersey. Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, is donating up to $100 million to transform Newark’s public schools. In return, Gov. Chris Christie is effectively giving control of...
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Early this week, New Jersey blew $400 million in federal education aid after botching the application process. Now the other shoe has dropped. Gov. Chris Christie has fired Bret Schundler, the state education commissioner who had shepherded the bid. According to our state news partner, NewJerseyNewsroom.com, Schundler had told the governor that New Jersey...
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Late last week, Gov. Chris Christie unveiled a proposal to limit the pay of school superintendents across the state. The salary cap would range from $120,000 for school districts with fewer than 250 students to $175,000 for districts with up to 10,000 students. According to the state, 366 school superintendents now earn more than...
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An appropriations bill introduced in the New Jersey state Senate earlier this week seeks to restore some of the library funding cuts sought by Gov. Chris Christie. “The budget looks a bit more promising at this point,” says Jim Thomas, the director of the Verona Public Library. “From the numbers I’ve been getting, it...
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Governor Chris Christie backed off his plan to push public school teachers to retire early, NJ.com reported. The governor had said earlier this spring that teachers who did not retire by August 1 would face changes to their pension and health benefits, prompting many teachers to announce their retirements. Teachers who have retired may...
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Bad news if you’re a homeowner there, that is. Baristanet is reporting that Montclair is among 13 towns in New Jersey that yesterday were granted the right to exceed the 2.5% spending cap sought by Gov. Chris Christie. Exceed it it will: Montclair residents will be hit with a 10% tax increase under the...
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