“Where is Gov. Murphy?” asks the Star-Ledger editorial board, noting that our governor is essentially AWOL when it comes to addressing learning loss caused by extended school closures. State Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz stated it plainly: the state is “falling short of what our moral responsibility is.” Sadly, but not surprisingly, Murphy appears to be more interested in his own presidential ambitions than the welfare of New Jersey’s schoolchildren.
Let’s remember how we got here. Catering to the teachers unions, Murphy allowed extended school closures in some of the state’s largest school districts, including Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Montclair. The teachers unions are Murphy’s biggest political supporters and when it really mattered, Murphy sided with his special interest political backers over the kids of New Jersey. Even now – with the extent of the learning loss widely known – Murphy continues to be strangely passive about taking corrective action. Perhaps his union pals would prefer to bury the subject.
Sunlight first reported on Murphy’s abdication of his responsibility in an April 2022 report “Before You Go, Governor Murphy …” Now it’s September, the new school year has begun, and Murphy is still AWOL – chasing his presidential dreams, supported by $750,000 of NJEA money.
Once again, under Murphy, the politically connected special interests win and New Jersey kids and their parents lose.
