Senate Candidate Steve Lonegan Takes the Fight to Newark, Calls Booker Out on Vouchers
“Cory Booker has failed the children, the parents, and the taxpayers of Newark in never providing school choice and never solving the deep problems confronting Newark.”
Irvington Resident Asks Booker to Tell the Truth on Vouchers :“My children don’t have the luxury of waiting another 10 years for our politicians to get their act together.”
NEWARK, NJ – In a press conference in Newark today, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Lonegan kicked off his “Exposing Cory Booker” tour by calling on Cory Booker to explain why he never implemented school vouchers for children trapped in Newark’s failing public schools.
In the past, Cory Booker has claimed to support school vouchers, but during his seven years as mayor of Newark, Booker never implemented vouchers. And last week, when called out by Mayor Lonegan, Booker’s campaign said, Booker’s “first priority is strengthening public education,” but “in areas where schools are currently failing our children, however, he believes that parents should have options.” (Philadelphia Inquirer, 07/13/13)
“Seven years ago, I was excited when Cory Booker ran for mayor and pledged to make a real difference in Newark’s failing education system,” Mayor Lonegan said. “I was excited because there was finally a Democrat promising to institute real school vouchers in one of America’s poorest cities. But now it’s seven years later, and absolutely nothing has happened.
“Cory Booker has failed the children, the parents, and the taxpayers of Newark in never providing school choice and never solving the deep problems confronting Newark. When a child drops out of school, their chances of turning toward crime goes up; their chances of being trapped in a life of poverty goes up; their chances of being dependent on the government welfare system goes up. All because Cory Booker refused to live up to his promises.
“Last year, Newark passed a milestone when its school budget flew past the $1 BILLION mark, funded by suburban taxpayers across the state. And despite one of the highest per-pupil costs in the nation – at nearly $24,000 – we continue to see massive drop out rates. The graduation rate in Newark is an astonishingly low 29 percent.
“But this isn’t just about statistics – this is about people. This is about children who have been failed by Cory Booker’s education system. Cory Booker can put out all the tweets in the world – it doesn’t change the fact that he has failed a generation of students.
“I call on Cory Booker to say once and for all whether he will support school vouchers in the U.S. Senate or whether he will allow President Obama to deny children the hope of a better future. New Jersey children and parents deserve an answer. Minnie Cuebas, who spoke about how she can’t afford to send her three daughters to private school, deserves an answer. New Jersey voters deserve an answer now.”