New Spotlight Column: Christie Should Veto Bill that Spends $16.7 Million a Year to Bus Lakewood Students to Jewish Day Schools

The New Jersey Senate and Assembly recently approved a bill sponsored by Sen. Robert Singer (R-Ocean, Monmouth) that commits the state to handing over $16.7 million per year to a private consortium to cover the costs of mandated and “courtesy” busing for Lakewood’s 18,930 Orthodox schoolchildren who attend yeshivas, or private Jewish day schools.

The Senate approved S-2049 by a margin of 22-8 and the Assembly by a margin of 41-27. This legislation perpetuates Lakewood’s unethical and unconstitutional culture of privileging private-school students over public students and also raises a number of troubling legal and governance issues. 

Gov. Chris Christie should veto the bill.