On April 1, students across New
Jersey continued to protest Governor Chris Christie’s proposed education cuts.
The proposed cuts include a 10 percent cut in overall education funding, about $820
million, a move that threatens every public school district in the state. The
budget goes so far as to threaten all state aid to some school districts.
Since late March, students across
the state have protested the proposed teacher layoffs and other cuts. Hundreds
of students walked out of school in protest. In Vernon, N.J., more than 800
high school students rallied on their football field to demand that the state
“stop taking [their] teachers.” About 450 students at Roselle Park High School
rallied outside the school, displaying 18 “X”ed black T-shirts to symbolize the
18 teachers at their school whose jobs are threatened by the cuts.
The
students in New Jersey are not alone in fighting the cuts. Students nationwide
are standing up against education cuts and attacks on teachers’ unions.
