WESTFIELD, N.J. – A lawsuit designed to end de facto segregation in New Jersey schools is a hot topic this month, and Jon Bramnick — the Assembly Republican leader — thinks it’s unconscionable that Governor Phil Murphy (D-N.J.) is abstaining from the debate.
“We need to know whether Governor Murphy will insure local boards of education will make decisions,” said Bramnick (R-Union). “Will a student have to enter a lottery to go to their neighborhood school? Trenton or the courts should not run our schools.”
The Mercer County lawsuit aims to eliminate the requirement that New Jersey students enroll in the school district where they live in addition to the requirement that charter schools assign priority to in-district students. Governor Murphy and his administration have refused to openly stake out a position on the complaint championed by a former state supreme court justice.
Bramnick and other critics of the litigation say school choice reforms represent a far better approach to empowering students in failing schools without ripping them away from their communities.
“I want good schools in every district and have always supported reforms in education,” added Bramnick. “That is why I have been a supporter of charter schools and voucher programs that create great alternatives and choice in education.”
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