Ridgewood: Education Equity

At the UULMNJ recent Plenary, the emerging issues group decided upon the following action. We are looking for volunteers for this worthwhile emerging task force. The message below is from Rev. Charlie Ortman who chaired the meeting.

Dear Members of UULMNJ Congregations,

Our friends at the Ridgewood UU Congregation, under the leadership of Helen Lindsay, have written a letter that can be addressed to either the Governor or to state Legislators regarding Education Equity. We want to get this letter out to you in the congregations for a coffee hour letter writing campaign as soon as possible in an effort to head off budgetary inequities that might severely impair educational opportunities for those already marginalized by that institution in our state. The letter identifies three important elements of the state’s education plan as it would be regulated in next year's budget that will have to be voted on by some time in June.

Reduction of state aid to all districts but particularly to districts unable to make up the deficit; Inclusion of a new formula for determining children at risk, reducing state burden while decreasing support to students who are clearly in need; A proposed change in determining the number of students in each district by using attendance records as opposed to the traditional registration numbers, again hitting the neediest districts the hardest.

Thank you for sharing this with members of your congregation.

Rev. Charlie Ortman