Sipos Slams NJEA Endorsement of Freiman and Drulis: “They’ve Failed Our Kids, and the NJEA Has Forgotten Its Mission”

RARITAN TOWNSHIP, NJ –Scott Sipos, Republican candidate for Assembly in New Jersey’s 16th Legislative District and a longtime educator and NJEA member, is blasting the union’s endorsement of incumbents Assemblyman Roy Freiman and Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis, calling it “a disgraceful example of political gamesmanship that puts Trenton insiders ahead of the students we serve.”
Sipos, who has spent over 30 years as a public school educator and served in leadership roles within the NJEA—including leading highly effective contract negotiations for his district—expressed outrage that the union would back legislators whose record shows a clear pattern of neglect toward public schools and teachers in LD-16.

“I’ve been a proud NJEA member for decades, but today’s leadership has lost its way,” said Sipos. “Freiman and Drulis have sat by while the schools in the very towns they represent—Clinton Township, Hillsborough, Montgomery, Princeton, and South Brunswick—have had their state aid slashed again and again. That means fewer teachers, fewer programs, and fewer opportunities for our students. How can any organization claiming to support public education endorse that?”

According to the latest data from the New Jersey Department of Education, every one of those school districts saw a decrease in state aid this year. Local school boards have been forced to make painful decisions—cutting music programs, delaying facility repairs, and eliminating critical teaching and staff positions—all while Trenton continues to mismanage the state’s flawed school funding formula.

Sipos says the NJEA’s endorsement shows that its priorities no longer align with the needs of educators or students. “Our students are the future of this great country, and they deserve better!”

“Instead of fighting to restore funding for schools in LD-16, the NJEA is dumping millions of dollars in union dues into political campaigns—like their early backing of the Spiller for Governor campaign—while ignoring the real issues facing teachers and students,” Sipos continued. “They’ve become just another political machine, more focused on advancing “woke” insiders than advocating for kids.”

Sipos has pledged to work across the aisle to fix the broken school funding formula and make sure suburban districts like those in LD-16 get a balanced approach to their resources, not at the backs of NJ taxpayers.”

“I’m running because I’ve seen firsthand what these cuts are doing to our schools. I’m not a politician—I’m a teacher, advocating for our students every day! And I refuse to stay silent while career politicians and a disconnected union leadership sell out our students.”

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