View
212
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
12 Good Reasons to VOTE on Nov. 5! Let the “countdown” begin…
Reason #12 to VOTE on Nov. 5 – Your Paycheck
Chris Christie rammed benefits “reform” through the Legislature in 2011, forcing us to pay
THOUSANDS of dollars more per year in health insurance premiums. He refused to let us bargain over
this economic issue.
Barbara Buono – who was Senate Majority Leader at the time – OPPOSED Christie’s law, insisting that
our right to collectively bargain those increases should be honored. She was stripped of her leadership
position for taking that principled stand.
Reason #11 to VOTE on Nov. 5 – Your Pension
Back in 2009, when Chris Christie first ran for governor, he wrote an “open letter” to NJEA members,
saying “Nothing about your pension is going to change when I am governor.” He then cut our pensions
by eliminating annual Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs), while increasing our annual pension
contributions.
Barbara Buono supports full funding of our pensions, because she knows the state’s repeated failure to
fund the pension system led to our being forced to pay more into it.
Reason #10 to VOTE on Nov. 5 – Education Funding
Chris Christie cut $1.3 BILLION from state education aid in his first year – causing 10,000 layoffs of
teachers and school staff, larger class sizes, and deep program cuts that are still hurting students.
Barbara Buono sponsored the common-sense School Funding Reform Act of 2008 – which Chris
Christie has under-funded by nearly $5 BILLION since taking office.
Reason #9 to VOTE on Nov. 5 – Respect for Educational Support Professionals
Chris Christie VETOED two bills that would have given ESPs protection against unfair dismissal and
against ill-conceived privatization schemes.
Barbara Buono VOTED for BOTH of those bills, and promises to sign them into law when she is elected
governor.
Reason #8 to VOTE on Nov. 5 – Testing and Evaluation
Chris Christie and his Education Commissioner, Chris Cerf, insist on using student test scores to
evaluate teachers, despite overwhelming research saying that’s bad policy – and bad education.
Barbara Buono respects and listens to teachers, and understands that standardized test scores cannot
measure the many factors that go into a child’s success in school.
Reason #7 to VOTE on Nov. 5 – Property Tax Reform
Under Chris Christie, the average property tax bill went up 18.6 PERCENT in his first three years in
office, but he repeatedly VETOED a tax on millionaires to make them pay their fair share.
Barbara Buono supports REAL property tax reform, and wants millionaires to pay their fair share of
taxes to protect our public schools.
Reason #6 to VOTE on Nov. 5 – School Construction
Chris Christie has sat on $3 BILLION in already-approved school construction funding, while countless
schools – particularly in urban districts – are dangerous, unhealthy, run-down environments that are
unfit for learning.
Barbara Buono has promised to release the funds targeted for school repair: when she toured Trenton
Central High School in October (Gov. Christie has refused to visit), she told reporters that it was in a
“criminal state of disrepair.”
Reason #5 to VOTE on Nov. 5 – Preschool Education
Chris Christie has called universal preschool “state-funded babysitting,” and has blocked expansion of
New Jersey’s best-in-the-nation preschool program.
Barbara Buono supports expanding full-day kindergarten and preschool programs, because she knows
they are proven ways to support early literacy and to close the achievement gap.
Reason #4 to VOTE on Nov. 5 – College Affordability
Chris Christie has increased tuition at state colleges and universities by 12 PERCENT, while continuing
to cut the budgets of all public higher education institutions.
Barbara Buono, who worked her way through Montclair State and Rutgers Law School, supports
making tuition affordable for college students. She knows that higher education is central to
supporting a strong middle class.
Reason #3 to VOTE on Nov. 5 – Unemployment and the Economy
Under Chris Christie, New Jersey still has the HIGHEST unemployment in the region, while ranking a
dismal 47th among the 50 states in overall economic growth. He vetoed an increase in the minimum
wage.
Barbara Buono won’t waste $4 billion on corporate tax breaks that failed to produce jobs, as Christie
did. She’ll invest in education, infrastructure, and small businesses to keep the middle class strong,
and will increase the minimum wage to help poor families make ends meet.
Reason #2 to VOTE on Nov. 5 – Women’s and Children’s Health and Safety
Chris Christie vetoed $7.5 million that would have kept six family planning clinics open – depriving
135,000 women of cancer screenings, mammograms, and Pap tests. He repeatedly vetoed equal pay
legislation, and cut $507,000 from a center for abused children in Newark.
Barbara Buono is a leader on women’s and children’s issues. She wrote New Jersey’s historic Paid
Family Leave law that allows workers to take paid time off to care for new children and sick family
members. She also authored legislation allowing mothers who have just given birth to stay in the
hospital for a minimum of 48 hours.
Reason #1 to VOTE on Nov. 5 – RESPECT
From the moment he took office, Chris Christie has vilified and insulted teachers and school
employees, calling us “greedy,” accusing us of using students as “drug mules,” and ridiculing us at
every turn. He even told a group of students in 2010 that if their teachers really cared about them,
they wouldn’t be “partying” at the NJEA Convention in Atlantic City.
Barbara Buono listens to teachers and school employees. She supports the rights of union members to
collective bargaining and fair treatment. She RESPECTS us. It’s that simple.
Recommended