Mayor Ras J. Baraka announced that an increase to property taxes was an irresponsible decision by the State of New Jersey. The benefit to taxpayers to carefully budget their city government under the "hearing of the citizens" ordinance has lead city government into an irresponsible state of operation for Newark Public Schools.
Newark, NJ - Mayor Ras J. Baraka has issued a statement to the public regarding the current city government news to increase property taxes to business owners and Newark residents. In a City of Newark press release below:
Statement by Mayor Ras J. Baraka:
"The amount to be raised by local property taxes in the 2016-2017 school year in the budget proposed by the State-controlled Newark Public Schools is 10.3% higher than the previous school year. This increase from $115,650,165 to $127,561,585 will cause higher tax bills in both 2016 and 2017 for Newark residents and businesses. The school portion of property tax bills for this year will increase by 6.20%.
"Under this budget, the people of Newark are being forced to pay for bad decisions by state officials, including:
* The hole left in the budget by state-appointed School Superintendent Cami Anderson's One Newark Plan.
* The EWPS list (Employees without Placement Sites) of Cami Anderson that forced the Newark Public Schools to pay twice for every unassigned teacher on the list.
* The expansion of charter schools without regard for the impact of that expansion on the budget of the remaining traditional public schools.
"With the support of the Municipal Council, State Legislators, and advocates for both traditional public schools and charter schools, we asked Governor Christie for $36 million to cut the $72 million Newark Public Schools budget deficit in half. In a letter, we told the Governor that the loss of every student to a charter school would cause traditional public schools to bear a disproportionate share of fixed costs, significantly reducing the amount that each school has available.
"We received $27 million, not $36 million. That was a help in reducing the deficit but not enough to avoid a school tax increase. The State of New Jersey's control of our schools created the school's deficit, and the State has the responsibility to fix it.
"The increase in school taxes comes at a time when the City of Newark has acted responsibly to get spending under control. Our City faced a $93 million deficit when I was sworn in. We have significantly reduced the deficit, generated increased revenues, stepped up tax collections and renegotiated contracts to put our finances on a sound footing. But the benefits of that responsible budgeting are dwarfed by the continuing school tax increase.
It is the responsibility of the State, not Newark taxpayers - to eliminate the need for a school tax increase. I urge the Newark Public Schools to delay final submission of the school budget to give the State time to come up with revenues needed to avoid a tax increase."
What does this mean for City of Newark residents who are currently sparked by Gang Violence and unmanaged policing chaos policies? If the public recalls, President Baraka Obama administration combined tax increases for the wealthiest Americans and investors under a myriad of public services ~ scientific research, infrastructure, health care reform, and education to name a few. To promote economic wealth in distressed communities, mixed policies within city governments must place a general force upon the free market today.
As distress properties continue to flood the City of Newark residents with eyesore resolutions, President Obama's policy on Educational Excellence for African Americans under the U.S. Department of Education must restore global leadership through the City of Newark residents vested by the Constitution to improve productivity.
Can the City of Newark youths depend upon the taxpayers and businesses to close the gap of incarceration and regulate high school diplomas?
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