Media Release
| For Immediate Release | Contact | Phone |
| September 27, 2006 | Mike Olender | 732-246-4772 |
New Jersey Educators, Parents, New Jersey Citizen Action Call for Congress to Stand Up for America's Priorities in Education
Report Underscores Need to Invest in Education
Bridgewater, NJ — Today New Jersey educators from Bridgewater-Raritan High School will join parents, New Jersey Citizen Action, the New Jersey Education Association, and the Garden State Coalition of Schools held a press conference at the Bridgewater-Raritan High School to call on Congress to stand up for America's priorities by investing in New Jersey's public schools. NJCA released a new report underscoring the need for investment in strengthening education in the state, from pre-k through higher education. Participants in the press conference included Mike Olender, Organizer of New Jersey Citizen Action; Barbara Keshishian, Vice President of the New Jersey Education Association; Lynn Strickland, Executive Director of the Garden State Education Association; Steven Beatty, President of the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association and BRHS teacher; and parents and students of Bridgewater-Raritan High School. Other supporting attendees included Dr. Walter Mahler, Superintendent of Bridgewater-Raritan Schools; Peter Starrs, Treasurer of the Somerset County School Business Administration; and Peter Miller, President of the Somerset County Superintendents Association.
The report, We Must Invest in New Jersey's Future, calls for strong public investments to secure an education system that provides all children the opportunity to succeed, including universal early childhood care and education; access to after school programs; quality K-12 schooling that prepares students for college; and affordable higher education.
"The Invest in America's Future Campaign is geared towards reminding Congress that voters recognize that strong public investments in areas such as education are absolutely vital to building a promising future for our country, said Mike Olender, New Jersey Citizen Action Organizer. "While Congress has given tax cuts to the wealthiest in our society and pay raises for themselves, New Jersey's education system remains in need and less secure. Washington needs to act now to secure a strong future for America."
This summer NJCA released the public opinion poll, Swing Nation, which found that a majority of swing voters support rolling back the Bush upper-tier tax cuts to finance public investments in education. The poll is being used as a basis for NJCA's Invest in America's Future Campaign, which is calling for Congress to roll back the tax cuts to finance investments in health care and clean energy, in addition to quality public education.
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New Jersey Citizen Action is the state's largest citizen watchdog coalition, with more than 60,000 family members and over 100 affiliated organizations.
