Today, Harry Lee, President and CEO of the New Jersey Public Charter School Association issued the following statement reacting to Governor Phillip Murphy’s FY 2024 budget address:

“We applaud Governor Murphy’s unprecedented commitment to education funding. Beyond the tremendous investment in school formula aid, his dedication to high dosage tutoring, and teacher recruitment efforts will help alleviate some of the educational issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The road to educational recovery is multifaceted and it must also include a robust and thoughtful conversation around improving public schools facilities for all children, including public charter schools. Public charter schools have $900 million in unmet health and safety facility needs. Like their traditional public school counterparts, public charter schools’ facility needs range from updating air quality systems to addressing classroom overcrowding. Every child deserves to attend a school that is safe and secure and provides a healthy learning environment. We look forward to working with Governor Murphy and the Legislature throughout the budget process to make sure every public school, regardless of what type, has access to fair and equitable facilities funding.”

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