Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-Morris, Passaic) delivered the following remarks on the FY27 budget during today’s Senate voting session:

“Once again, the people of New Jersey are presented with a budget which prioritizes where you, live not what you need. Those voting for this budget will say they are addressing the needs of the most vulnerable. That in certain instances may be true, but not when it comes to our most vulnerable and needy children. Who would deny that the education we give our special needs children should be paramount in what this budget addresses. It does not.

“A number of years ago then Senate President Sweeney and I, along with other Senate colleagues held statewide meetings to discuss school funding. What was agreed upon by all Republican and Democrats was that the state had to first address the needs of those children. It happened. The State began increasing its share of the cost of special education. What was important to me was that this increase was not based on the zip code that the child lived in. Those children were determined to be all our children. Unfortunately, old habits die hard. The 2022 budget funded 90% of extraordinary special education costs.

2023 – 84%

2024 – 72%

2025 – 62%

“Last year 52%. Final numbers are not in for this year’s budget but no doubt it follows the same pattern established the last five years. So, as this budget climbs ever higher, having increased 70% in nine short years, the obligation that we had agreed to when it came to the needs of our state’s special needs children has begun to evaporate. Plenty of taxpayer dollars for all sorts of things, some good, some not so good. This budget does not reestablish our educational priorities for all our most needy children. It does only if they live in the right zip code. So, I would ask my colleagues to please preface their commitments to our children by saying they do care about children, only their children.”