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ISSUE: Even though Governor Christie's Budget contains an additional $750,000 for nonpublic school nursing services, the amount is still $1,409,000 short of what was available in the Appropriations Act last year.  That final figure of $14,311,000 was created by the Legislature after much work by the nonpublic school community.  Furthermore, Governor Christie's Budget eliminated the $2,441,000 that was added to the Nonpublic School Technology, thus reducing the amount to $3 million. 

OUR POSITION:    The New Jersey Catholic Conference and the New Jersey Network of Catholic School Families has continued to support increased funding in nonpublic school accounts.  Our focus with the Legislature, particularly the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Assembly Budget Committee, will be to increase the funding for nonpublic school nursing services and technology aid at least to the amount in the Appropriations Act from last year.

ACTION:

1. Call, email or speak directly with the offices of the members of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Assembly Budget Committee asking them to restore the level of funding in the nonpublic school nursing services and nonpublic school technology accounts at least to the level of funding in the Fiscal Year 2015 Appropriations Act.  See attached List.
2. Give special thanks to Assemblyman Gary Schaer who is chair of the Assembly Budget Committee for his work during last year's Budget process and his willingness to increase last year's amounts in nonpublic nursing services and nonpublic technology. 
3. If your State Senator and/or your members of the General Assembly are not on either Committee, call, email, or visit those legislators and indicate the need for this appropriation to nonpublic school students and their parents.  Remind them of the tax dollars being saved to public schools in their districts by the decision of nonpublic school parents to send their children to a nonpublic school.
4. Repeat steps 1 and 3 periodically between now and the third week in June in order to keep your request at the forefront of Budget considerations by State legislators. 
5. Have students write letters to their respective legislators noting how the funding for nursing and nonpublic technology funding was used this year and how the loss will affect those programs next year.