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NJ Charter School Parents Push State Lawmakers To Restore Funding

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NJ Charter School Parents Push State Lawmakers To Restore Funding


NEW JERSEY — Dozens of parents of public charter school students from New Jersey cities, including Newark, recently paid a visit to Trenton to push for more funding in the state budget.

A group of 35 public charter school parents and advocates from Camden, Paterson, Newark, Trenton, Plainfield and Jersey City joined advocates from the New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association (NJPCSA) at the Statehouse earlier this month, where they met with lawmakers as part of their “SameKidsSameNeeds” campaign.

Advocates are asking lawmakers to “restore aid for repairs and maintenance in public charter school buildings” that was cut in Gov. Phil Murphy’s draft state budget.

Parents attended committee hearings, pushing lawmakers to fully fund the Charter and Renaissance School Emergent Project and Capital Maintenance Fund.

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In the governor’s proposed budget, funding was decreased from $20 million to $5 million, representing a 75 percent cut in critical facilities funding, the NJPCSA stated.

According to the nonprofit:

“Public charter schools, which educate 1 in 5 students in New Jersey’s most under-resourced communities, have historically been excluded from school construction funding. On average, public charters spend $2,000 per student from their operating budgets on building needs, diverting resources that could be used to increase teacher salaries, purchase classroom supplies, and technology.”

“We have students in buildings that are well over 100-years-old where pipes burst, boilers break, windows won’t open and roofs leak,” said T.J. Best, a senior advisor at NJPCSA.

“This is about fairness and equity for all of New Jersey’s students,” Best added. “We must recognize that these are all our children, regardless of the type of school they attend.”

Athena Davis-Shaw, whose child attends Philip’s Academy Charter School in Newark, has seen firsthand how with resources the school has received in the past has been put to use repairing a leaky roof and making spaces “more accessible” for students and staff.

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“However, the repairs from Hurricane Ida are still ongoing and we need funding to continue fixing damage from the storm,” Davis-Shaw added.

It’s not just Newark charter schools that need urgent repairs, said Maria Cruz, parent liaison at LEAP University Academy Charter School in Camden.

“The state is not doing its part to ensure we’re getting the necessary resources for our facilities,” Cruz said. “I’m asking Gov. Murphy and the Legislature to restore this funding and make sure every school is a place where our kids can learn and grow.”

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.



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New Jersey

NJ firefighter dies after crash responding to fire call

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NJ firefighter dies after crash responding to fire call


A young firefighter died two weeks after being badly hurt in a crash while responding to a fire call, according to the Malaga Fire Company.

Robert (Bobby) Reider, 23, was driving north along Delsea Drive while trying to get to the scene of fire on Saturday, June 27 when his car went off the road, officials said.

When first responders got to the scene of the crash, they found Reider trapped in his car and worked to remove him.

Reider was then taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital where he was treated for severe and traumatic injuries.

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Weeks later, on July 10 around 4:30 a.m., Reider died from his injuries while still in the hospital.

The Malaga Fire Company says that Reider joined their team in 2018 when he was just 16 as a junior firefighter.

He then went on to earn a certificate at Fire 1 at the Salem County Fire Academy in 2022.



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NJ Legislators Are Considering a Bill That Could Ban Tesla Robotaxis Due to Their Tech Choice

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NJ Legislators Are Considering a Bill That Could Ban Tesla Robotaxis Due to Their Tech Choice


New Jersey lawmakers are deliberating on a law that would create a three-year autonomous vehicle pilot program in the state, but Tesla might be banned from participating altogether over a technical choice made by the Texas-based carmaker for its self-driving vehicles.

The bill, officially known as S1677, would establish autonomous vehicle testing requirements with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. One of these proposed requirements is that autonomous vehicle operators use camera-based technology and two additional forms of sensor tech, such as lidar or radar. Of course, Tesla’s autonomous vehicle technology is purely camera-based, meaning the brand could be banned from testing in New Jersey.

picture alliance//Getty Images

The text of the bill is fairly straightforward, requiring prospective autonomous operators to submit a “law enforcement interaction plan” and detail redundant safety systems, crash-avoidance technology, and data recording capabilities. The specific language that would ban Tesla’s system requires autonomous operators to “be equipped with crash-avoidance systems, including a camera system and two distinct sensing modalities that are capable of detecting and tracking obstacles in the event of failure of the camera system.” The bill also favors keeping traditional steering wheel and pedal controls available. While initial testing would be completed with human safety operators, the bill would allow fully autonomous operation once certain metrics, such as 50,000 crash-free miles, are met.

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The decision to require both camera- and sensor-based technology is not a coincidence, according to The Verge. “This is not anti-Tesla. I’m pro-New Jersey safety,” Democratic state senator Andrew Zwicker, the bill’s primary sponsor and a physicist by trade, said to The Verge. “At this point, I don’t think the evidence is sufficient that a single sensor with software can handle situations that humans can.”

Tesla is, unsurprisingly, upset about this development, and the company is fighting back. The automaker’s public policy platform, Engage Tesla, features a call to action for Tesla owners to contact members of the New Jersey Legislature to oppose the bill, with the plea claiming the autonomous vehicle testing program is the opposite of progress, and saying that Tesla would be legally barred from testing in the Garden State. Statistics about roadway death rates in New Jersey and denying freedom of movement for elderly populations are also included.

pilot project with self driving teslas in the eifel region

picture alliance//Getty Images

“Rather than prioritizing real safety outcomes and performance, the bill specifically bans Tesla from the New Jersey market,” the site reads. “Every arbitrary roadblock is a delay for the people who need this life-changing technology most. Legislation that bans Tesla’s proven AV technology from the market is not caution — it’s anti-competitive favoritism that will cause New Jersey to fall behind while other states move forward.”

The bill, introduced on January 16, is currently under consideration by the New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. The bill’s language closely mirrors talking points from the nonprofit SAVE-US, which is lobbying for stronger oversight of autonomous vehicle testing. New Jersey is not the only state pondering additional autonomous testing regulation; New York legislators are working on similar legislation. Just yesterday, federal safety regulators called out autonomous vehicle operators like Waymo for interfering with first responders.

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Headshot of Emmet White

A New York transplant hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Emmet White has a passion for anything that goes: cars, bicycles, planes, and motorcycles. After learning to ride at 17, Emmet worked in the motorcycle industry before joining Autoweek in 2022 and Road & Track in 2024. The woes of alternate side parking have kept his fleet moderate, with a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta GLI and a BMW 318i E30 street parked in his Queens community.



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Are all Freedom Fuel locations $3.47? Not anymore

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Are all Freedom Fuel locations .47? Not anymore


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President Donald Trump is touting a new fuel option for motorists: Freedom Fuel, advertising gas at a discount price to local consumers.

When the network was opened and announced on July 7, it advertised $3.47 per gallon regular gas at the pumps, a noticeable difference from national and state averages in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

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But is the gas actually as cheap as the 47th President says?

According to some gas tracking platforms, it may not be.

On GasBuddy, a website tracking gas prices across the country with a pricing heat map based on user submissions, some of the Freedom Fuel locations’ pricing appeared to have risen.

Some still sporting the names of what appeared to be their previous sites, like a Gas N Go on Island Ave, the following addresses on GasBuddy match those listed as one of Trump’s 25 gas stations.

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The pricing, however, varies:

  • 2200 Island Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – $3.57 as of July 8
  • 400 Baltimore Pike, Springfield, Pennsylvania – $3.57 as of July 9
  • 6243 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – $3.57 as of July 9
  • 6800 E. Baltimore Ave, Lansdowne, Pennsylvania – $3.57 as of July 9
  • 6801 Tilton Rd., Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey – $3.89 as of July 8
  • 6501 Delilah Rd., Egg Harbor Township New Jersey – $3.57 as of July 9

Much about the gas station network remains unknown, like how long they’ll be operating or where stations could be popping up next.

Administration officials told USA TODAY on July 8 that the federal government has no role in the Freedom Fuel Network, nor is it providing it with funding.

The White House also said that “no other entity or person” is subsidizing the cost of gasoline.

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Contributing: Michelle Del Rey USA TODAY NETWORK

Kaitlyn McCormick is a Philadelphia-based reporter writing all things trending, breaking and city-related for USA TODAY’s Philadelphia Metro Connect Team.



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