Our state Assembly has put forth bill A3123, which seeks to highly regulate homeschoolers. We will all pay higher school property taxes if the bill passes.
A3123 will force every homeschooling family to be evaluated as to whether their education is appropriate. However, “appropriate education” is not defined in the bill. We know from experience that poorly defined bills lead to extensive, costly litigation. Result: Higher property taxes.
The state commissioner of education will have the power to mandate courses and content if this bill is passed. This means that each district will have to hire an administrator to examine the educational program of resident homeschoolers. More employees equals higher taxes.
Some parents will not be up to fighting this new bureaucracy and will enroll their children in the public school. These parents have been saving taxpayers money every year by paying out of their own pockets to educate their children. Now you will have to pay for their “free” public education, to the tune of about $15,000 per pupil. Again, this will increase property taxes.
Please call or write your Assembly members and ask that they vote against the bill. It will take significant freedom away from thousands of responsible parents in New Jersey, and will take even more money out of your wallet. The ones who will benefit by this bill are the educational bureaucrats, and I think we’ve seen that they’re already doing quite well.
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