News
Newark public schools superintendent’s ‘staff fun day’ squandered $33,000 in state aid
Rutgers policy expert Marc Pfeiffer highlighted that, in such circumstances, districts have alternative means of funding staff appreciation events — such as through independent foundations — rather than dipping into the public coffers for extravagance.
American Dream mall says East Rutherford owes it $183M. Here’s why
“This is a property tax appeal,” said Marc Pfeiffer, a municipal finance expert and assistant director at the Bloustein Local Government Research Center at Rutgers University. It boils down to “what is the calculation for square footage.”
Leigh Ann Von Hagen Named VTC Executive Director
“Twenty years ago, I joined VTC to work on bicycle and pedestrian projects, and I seized the opportunity to pursue my passion for urban planning and research. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of leading impactful research and initiatives that have driven significant policy and practice changes. As Executive Director, I remain committed to advancing safety, promoting health and equity, and enhancing access through research, education, training, and community engagement. I deeply appreciate the leadership of my predecessors, Jon Carnegie and Martin Robins, and I look forward to building on VTC’s legacy of innovation.”
Building the Clean Energy Workforce in New Jersey
by Brittney Donovan and Grace Maruska In honor of the 10th anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week, researchers at the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development wanted to illustrate how apprenticeships can help meet the needs of the labor market related to...
What your 2025 primary ballot might look like
“Anything they’re doing, they’re doing to maintain some favoritism for them, some advantage on the ballot, which means it’s not a fair ballot,” said Rutgers Professor Julia Sass Rubin, whose research was cited in overturning the county line. “The point of the ballot is to have a fair way for voters to indicate their preference.”
What the 2nd Trump administration might mean for health insurance
The last time he held office, Donald Trump “was one vote away from repealing the Affordable Care Act,” said Cantor. “So, it’s likely that he will, at the very least, seek to reduce funding for subsidies in the ACA coverage exchanges and make other changes likely to undermine affordability and market stability in the exchanges.”
Tech Updates: Local Government Technology Policy
Without a usable plan, you can’t manage your agency’s technology needs, resources, and risks. How you develop this plan depends on your specific circumstances, but it should balance spending, available time and effort, and competing priorities.
NJSPL Report on LMI Community Solar Program in NJ
Report Release: Examining Low- and Moderate-Income Community Solar Program and Energy Justice in New Jersey: An AI-Based Crowdsourcing Study
Opinion by Rubin | Is New Jersey now a swing state?
“One of the biggest surprises of the election was how close the presidential race was in New Jersey. A state that President Joe Biden had won by 16 points four years ago gave Vice President Kamala Harris only a six-point margin of victory.”
Bloustein project supports local literacy initiative with book drive
“I feel like what this mission is doing is it’s sort of … embracing the community from the back and just giving it a big hug from Bloustein,” Richardson said.
NJSPL: Identifying & Examining NJ Corporate Home Ownership
The phrase “corporate landlord” is often used to refer to large corporate entities backed by private equity funds and Real Estate Investment Trusts. In researching corporate home ownership throughout seven municipalities in New Jersey, researchers found that some areas exhibited high and increasing levels of corporate ownership, broadly defined, but most corporate entities owned just a few properties and most of these appeared to be locally based.
New Williams et al. Research on Improving Survey Inference
Dr. Sharifa Z. Williams, Assistant Professor, and colleagues found nonresponse in probability surveys creates challenges, but their new 2-step method leverages continuous auxiliary data for better estimates—while protecting confidentiality.