Magnet Schools Help the Wealthy, Kevin Walsh makes the Machines Nervous, NJ Failing Newark Youth, NJ Tax Payers Have Biggest, Lifetime Hit on Wallet

Magnet Schools, Rankings and Wealth
NJ Education Report

School Some would argue these magnets, which pick top contenders from among the whole county, are examples of public school choice: Applicants can ignore school district boundaries as long as they live in the county. Yet a new report from Available To All called “The Broken Promise of Brown v. Board of Ed” finds that sentiment malarkey. In fact, segregation countrywide has returned to 1968 levels , largely because students, say, in Newark, aren’t permitted to access nearby districts with far more opportunities. From the Executive Summary:

“Believe it or not, many coveted magnet schools give enrollment preferences to wealthy families, trying to lure them away from their high-quality zoned schools. It is one of the great ironies of public education that magnet schools, created to reduce segregation and increase opportunities for low-income children of color, often now intentionally put those same children at a disadvantage.  Read More

County Governments Want the State Comptroller to Stop Doing his Job (LOL)
New Jersey Monitor

An association representing New Jersey’s 21 counties wants lawmakers to investigate a state watchdog that issued recent reports exposing misconduct and waste in three counties.

The New Jersey Association of Counties Executive Director John Donnadio sent a letter Tuesday to Senate President Nicholas Scutari asking legislators to probe the Office of the State Comptroller, accusing the office of publicizing its findings of wrongdoing while hiding governments’ responses. Read More

 

NJ is Failing Newark Youth
NJ Spotlight

The report found that Newark has “incredible resources” and strong community ties that have shaped racial and ethnic neighborhoods with thriving community-based organizations. But despite being the largest city in New Jersey, home to the largest school system in the state, an international airport, a sports arena, a performing arts center, government offices, and private-sector institutions and companies, “the local community does not often benefit from the economic bounty the city attracts and creates,” the report found.

The study also makes recommendations to reduce the barriers that perpetuate youth disconnection such as poverty, lack of health insurance, home life, teen births, and food insecurities. Read More

New Jerseyans Pay Highest Rate of Taxes over their Lifetime
Patch

New Jerseyans pay an average $987,117 in lifetime taxes, or about 54.3 percent of their lifetime earnings, according to the study conducted by researchers at the Texas-based financial technology company. This includes an average $334,260 tax on earnings, $54,961 on personal expenses, $564,614 on property and $33,282 on cars. Read More

Read More Articles On State Matters

Reach out to Your NJ State Representative

Subscribe to BHCW For Free