Stakeholders?

The Governor unveiled his super secret school funding plan today.

From Corzine's press release:

"Education Commissioner Lucille E. Davy noted that the details of the formula released today are the result of more than a year of intensive work by department and administration officials, legislators and stakeholders."

Who are these stakeholders? NJEA members and officials, no doubt. School administrators too.

In reality, who is not a stakeholder when in comes to school funding in New Jersey? Everyone is. Why on earth would this plan be worked on intensively for more than a year, by people who get paid by it, with no input from the majority who will pay for it?

The announcement on the NJEA's website starts out,

"The debate over a new public school funding formula for New Jersey has officially begun."

Corzine obviously wants this to be a very short debate.

The plan calls for $530 million dollars in new spending, not including spending for a future mandated pre-kindergarten programs for 3 and 4 year olds.

There is absolutely no mention of cutting back spending in the Abbott Districts. These districts spend on average tens of thousands more per student that non-Abbotts. How can any serious person not look to cut waste, fraud and abuse from those districts.

Also missing is any mention of a consolidation of New Jersey's 613 school districts.

This a a joke. The only way the Governor could possibly get this passed is to do so during a lame duck session, which is coincidentally during the Christmas season.

That's why the secrecy.

Be sure to check out InTheLobby for more on Corzine's secrecy.

This governor is dangerous.