Fewer and fewer children are attending public schools in New Jersey. Across the Garden State, public school enrollment dropped by nearly 36,000 students between 2012-13 and 2022-23, according to analysis by the Asbury Park Press. The drops are causing budget strains...
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In the News
ROI.NJ – Rutgers launches climate and energy institute with wide-reaching goals
Rutgers University – New Brunswick will soon serve as a locus for scholarship on climate change, renewable energy production, energy conservation and their environmental dimensions, according to a recent announcement from the Middlesex County institution’s leaders....
Americans Quitting Jobs Even as Savings Dry Up, Debt Grows
A rising number of Americans are quitting their jobs even as their savings deplete and personal debt rises. New data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the number of job openings in the United States grew unexpectedly during the month of August. Stressed...
US Supreme Court won’t consider challenge to New Jersey’s ballot rigging
The United States Supreme Court refused to hear a pivotal case aimed at challenging New Jersey’s controversial ballot laws in a decision not to take up a case that could have threatened the entrenched political establishment’s ability to manipulate the electoral...
TECH UPDATES: What Municipal CAOs Need to Know, Part 1: Tech Fitness and Cyber Hygiene
There are two basic elements of technology that every municipality must have. Most places already do this, but it doesn’t hurt to highlight them. The first is an expert to advise you and your governing body on technology issues. As with other experts you hire—a police...
Pfeiffer – Lakewood schools borrowed millions from New Jersey and still can’t pay its bills
The Lakewood School District in New Jersey is facing severe financial distress, having borrowed $165 million since 2014 and now seeking an additional $93 million loan from the state to stay afloat. This mounting debt has been primarily attributed to the district's...
Stamato & Jaffe Opinion: The U.S. Supreme Court, regulation and the ‘deep state’
A new opinion piece by Linda Stamato and Sandy Jaffe, policy fellows at the New Jersey State Policy Lab covers how two recent decisions by the United States Supreme Court diminish the regulatory authority of federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection...
Hughes – What if the road from Tuckerton to Atlantic City was built?
Route S4A was intended to connect Tuckerton in Ocean County to Atlantic City in Atlantic County, New Jersey, during the 1920s. The road's construction would have significantly shortened the travel distance between North Jersey and Atlantic City, but it was never...
Wolff – We need to embrace restorative justice over retaliation, punishment
American culture tends to prioritize punishment and retaliation in various aspects of society, such as the criminal justice system and school discipline. It contrasts this punitive approach with the concept of restorative justice, which aims to repair harm and...
American Dream lawsuits are stacking up. Here’s why — and how they compare to other malls
The American Dream entertainment complex has faced an onslaught of 82 lawsuits since 2018, encompassing issues such as unpaid construction bills, injuries at its attractions, and defaults on loans, significantly surpassing neighboring malls in legal troubles. The...