FYI: Mila Jasey Calls for $110 Million from the Property Tax Relief Fund to go to Pre-K Instead

FYI:

http://www.njtvonline.org/news/video/asw-jasey-proposes-legislation-to-expand-pre-k-program-across-the-state/

According to Jasey, it has not been decided which districts will receive the Pre-K money, but they would be in DFGs A, B, and CD.  South Orange-Maplewood is in DFG I, so there is no chance we would get money.  

More information about the proposal is available here:

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/15/12/14/sweeney-calls-for-state-to-invest-165m-in-pre-k-early-childhood-programs/

Some of the money would go to the Abbotts to fund "free" after-care programs for kids already getting Pre-K there during regular hours.

NJ's debt payments for pensions and (mostly) Abbott construction are set to increase dramatically in a few years.  There is a lawsuit against NJ for suspending COLA payments (Berg v Christie) which will be decided by the NJ Supreme Court in a few months and which would cost NJ billions in extra payments if the plaintiffs, Charles Ouslander and several public sector unions, win.  Moody's has already warned that if NJ loses Berg v Christie that there will be another credit downgrade.

Is she nuts?

who is she representing again?

She was on NJ12 with Mary Alice Williams recently discussing this--she has a Republican co-sponsor on the bill.   

I've never seen someone more socially awkward than she was on this telecast.  Take a look:  http://www.njtvonline.org/news/video/asw-jasey-proposes-legislation-to-expand-pre-k-program-across-the-state/

I'd bet Jeff Bennett has a few thoughts here... 

bak said:

She was on NJ12 with Mary Alice Williams recently discussing this--she has a Republican co-sponsor on the bill.   

I've never seen someone more socially awkward than she was on this telecast.  Take a look:  http://www.njtvonline.org/news/video/asw-jasey-proposes-legislation-to-expand-pre-k-program-across-the-state/

I'd bet Jeff Bennett has a few thoughts here... 

Oh, this is JBennett.  I've just decided to use a quasi-anonymous screenname for the sake of privacy.  (alas, I rarely go running anymore these days.)

Anyway, I don't think that NJ can afford to spend any more on Pre-K.  The state is headed for bankruptcy, with the first of the pension funds (the judges') expected to zero-out in 2020 and then the bigger PERS and TPAF funds zeroing-out in the mid-2020s.

If there is a recession the depletion dates of the pension funds will arrive sooner.  If the legislature cuts inheritance+estate taxes, which even many Democrats want to do, the state will give up hundreds of millions a year and our revenue picture will become even worse.

NJ's economy has grown at half of the national average since 2000.  We have the country's highest property taxes and are among the highest for every tax except gasoline.  In part because of our extraordinary taxes, we have the highest foreclosure rate in the country.  At least partly because of taxes, we have the country's highest outmigration rate.  

Putting another $110 million a year into Pre-K  instead of property tax relief won't necessarily be a huge tax increase on top of our already exorbitant taxes, but it is a step in the wrong direction.  

If Jasey wants to expand Pre-K, why is she proposing taking the money from statewide property tax relief? why doesn't she propose taking it away from overaided districts like Jersey City, Hoboken, Asbury Park, and Pemberton?  If we had means-testing for Pre-K in Jersey City and Hoboken and reserved Pre-K there for poor kids we would save tens of millions a year, since most of the kids getting Pre-K in JC and Hoboken are not poor at all.

I am enormously disappointed with Mila Jasey for doing nothing about state aid or her own constituents.  If she wants to take $110 million away from the Property Tax Relief Fund why not direct that into the K-12 component of SFRA?  That way the SOMSD would get some money and many extremely poor non-Abbott districts would be be big gainers.  Jasey talks about SFRA in the context of Pre-K, but why doesn't she talk about SFRA in the context of K-12?

I think the benefits of Pre-K are exaggerated.  There is a fadeout by early elementary school.  The Abbott districts, which all have universal Pre-K, do not outperform other high-FRL districts that are not Abbotts and get no Pre-K (such as Dover, Prospect Park, Guttenberg etc).  

What is also worrying is that the Democrats (like Teresa Ruiz) want to use something called "Social Impact Bonds" to finance Pre-K.  The idea is that a private entity (like Goldman Sachs, who gave money in Utah)  lends money for Pre-K and then profits off of the "savings" from lower sped referrals.  The problem is that the savings just aren't as high as the payouts to the banks.  In other words, the public is getting ripped off.

This idea is so wrongheaded that many very liberal people who are enamored of Pre-K expansion oppose it as a corporate giveaway.  

http://dianeravitch.net/2015/12/19/new-jersey-dems-want-social-impact-bonds-to-reduce-special-education-reward-investors/

OMG.

Her office phone number is 973-762-1886. Why not give her a call?

Because she responds to my emails?

Seems to me that if education of our children is a priority, what better lesson for our children than not spending money that you don't have.

mod said:

who is she representing again?

Not SOMA for as long as I've been paying attention.

Like so many so-called thoughtful individuals elected to office, Mila has forgotten who she is supposed to represent and does nothing to help the local taxpayers.  The only solution is to reject her at the polls the next time she is on the ballot.  In the meantime, call her and express dismay about her rush to spend our money rather than do anything to provide tax relief.