Houghtaling Joins Freehold Borough, Red Bank, and Other Underfunded School Districts at Assembly Budget Hearing

TRENTON – Adding his support to local calls for fair school funding, Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling today joined superintendents, school board members, and parents from underfunded school districts at the Assembly Budget Committee’s questioning of state Education Commissioner David Hespe and other state school officials.

With many districts such as Freehold Borough and Red Bank experiencing spikes in enrollment, advocates and lawmakers, including Houghtaling and Assemblywoman Joann Downey, are calling for additional funding to alleviate severe overcrowding. Houghtaling and Downey last week hosted a roundtable discussion on school funding with Assembly Budget Chairman Gary Schaer in which local advocates and school board officials were able to talk openly about how school funding fits into the budget and what can be done to rectify funding disparities.

“I was proud to join so many parents, administrators, and local officials, to stand up and say that enough is enough,” said Houghtaling, “Trenton needs to know how crucial this issue is and how dangerously close we are to infringing on the rights on these students to a thorough and effective education. The people who work every day in our schools know better than anyone that our funding system is broken.”

Houghtaling and Downey have visited overcrowded schools in Freehold Borough, and will be visiting Red Bank Borough Schools as well. Both have advocated in the Legislature for additional state aid for the overcrowded and severely underfunded school districts.

“This is a statewide issue that hits very close to home. The Legislature and the Department of Education both have a responsibility to listen to the real concerns of parents, teachers, and administrators who see the impact that flat funding or negligible increases have on their schools,” said Houghtaling, “We will continue working tirelessly to make fair school funding a reality.”