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OPINION: NJ’s school supply crisis: Why parents are left paying for basic classroom needs

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OPINION: NJ’s school supply crisis: Why parents are left paying for basic classroom needs



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With my youngest now a high school senior, it’s been a while since I had to make that early August trip to Staples with a school supply list in hand, hoping to snag those Spider-Man folders. But curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to see what today’s parents are up against.

I pulled up a fifth-grade supply list from a New Jersey school and bought everything on Amazon. The total? $106.70 — just for classroom essentials. That doesn’t include the backpack, school clothes, gym gear or winter wear like hats, gloves and boots. And forget about art supplies, sports equipment or renting a musical instrument.

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Families with children in elementary through high school spend an average of $874 to prepare their kids for school.

What’s worse is that some of these items on the list aren’t even for the kids — they’re for the classroom. Disinfectant wipes, dry erase markers, erasers — parents are now expected to cover these, too. 

And don’t even get me started on Sharpies — you can’t buy just one; it’s a four-pack or nothing. And really, does my kid actually need 72 Ticonderoga pencils?

This is what public education looks like in New Jersey today — parents are footing the bill for what should be covered by the schools themselves. And let’s not forget that many underpaid teachers already dip into their own pockets to cover other classroom needs.

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When I partnered with the Morris County Interfaith Food Pantry as a collection site for their backpack drive, I never expected the flood of calls, emails, and visits it would trigger. For every one person who came to drop off supplies, five or six more showed up asking for help because they simply couldn’t afford what the school required.

And then there were the complaints — angry, baffled parents who couldn’t understand why, in a state that spends nearly $40 billion on education, with an average per-pupil cost of $26,970, they still had to buy basic classroom supplies benefiting all the students.

“Seventy percent of my taxes go to the local school, and they can’t buy a spiral notebook?” they asked, incredulous.

When families are driving 30 minutes to my office because they can’t afford school supplies, it’s clear we’re not dealing with just a lack of funds — we’re dealing with a crisis of misplaced priorities.

But not all hope is lost. Right down the road from my district office on Main Street in Chester, the local school board passed a novel idea: All supplies will be paid for and provided to every student this year, ensuring a “consistent educational experience.”

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But to make this work statewide, we need leadership from Trenton. Education budgets are tight because of unfunded mandates, and many districts have suffered serious cuts in state aid. We shouldn’t just ask local taxpayers and parents to keep footing the bill — we need to shift that responsibility to the state.

Why not create a fund within the Department of Education specifically for school supplies? It could be financed by restraining the nearly billion dollars lawmakers add to the budget each year for their pet projects.

This is a commonsense fix that prioritizes students. It could also be a first step to finally fixing the more complicated broken education funding formula, which picks winners and losers among districts.

I remember the embarrassment I felt when I came to school without the supplies I needed. My father, a single dad raising three girls on public assistance, protested the “ridiculous” supply lists by sending us to school without them. I’ll never forget the pit in my stomach and the flush on my face when the teacher said, “Take out your …” and I had nothing to take out.

Those were not so different times, and I want to believe that in New Jersey — a state that prides itself on offering a world-class education for every child — no student will start the school year behind because they don’t have the tools they need.

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We need a solution like providing school supplies, even if it means no more Spider-Man folders. It’s a small price to pay to ensure all children start the school year on equal footing.

Aura Dunn has been an assemblywoman since 2019. She represents parts of Morris and Passaic counties in the 25th Legislative District.



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New Jersey hits pause on an offshore wind farm that can't find turbine blades

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New Jersey hits pause on an offshore wind farm that can't find turbine blades


New Jersey hit the pause button Wednesday on an offshore wind energy project that is having a hard time finding someone to manufacture blades for its turbines.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities granted Leading Light Wind a pause on its project through Dec. 20 while its developers seek a source for the crucial components.

The project, from Chicago-based Invenergy and New York-based energyRE, would be built 40 miles (65 kilometers) off Long Beach Island and would consist of up to 100 turbines, enough to power 1 million homes.

Leading Light was one of two projects that the state utilities board chose in January. But just three weeks after that approval, one of three major turbine manufacturers, GE Vernova, said it would not announce the kind of turbine Invenergy planned to use in the Leading Light Project, according to the filing with the utilities board.

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A turbine made by manufacturer Vestas was deemed unsuitable for the project, and the lone remaining manufacturer, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, told Invenergy in June that it was substantially increasing the cost of its turbine offering, Invenergy said.

That left the project without a turbine supplier.

“The stay enables continued discussions with the BPU and supply chain partners regarding the industry-wide market shifts,” Invenergy said in a statement. “We will continue to advance project development activities during this time.”

Christine Guhl-Sadovy, president of the utilities board, said the delay will help the project move forward.

“We are committed in New Jersey to our offshore wind goals,” she said. “This action will allow Invenergy to find a suitable wind turbine supplier. We look forward to delivering on the project that will help grow our clean energy workforce and contribute to clean energy generation for the state.”

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The delay was the latest setback for offshore wind in New Jersey. The industry is advancing in fits and starts along the U.S. East Coast.

Nearly a year ago, Danish wind energy giant Orsted scrapped two offshore wind farms planned off New Jersey’s coast, saying they were no longer financially feasible.



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Observations from the Washington Capitals’ 5-3 preseason victory against the New Jersey Devils

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Observations from the Washington Capitals’ 5-3 preseason victory against the New Jersey Devils


📸: Alan Dobbins/RMNB

The Washington Capitals are in the win column for the first time during the 2024 preseason after a 5-3 road win over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night. The Capitals secured the victory despite New Jersey icing most of their NHL regulars in preparation for an early start to their regular season overseas.

Dylan Strome and Brandon Duhaime finished with two markers apiece, and John Carlson added one more to make five for the good guys. Logan Thompson played the entire game in net.

  • The win featured Alex Ovechkin’s preseason debut, and the team’s captain looked good in his first game action. Ovechkin, Strome, and Andrew Mangiapane, their new running mate, combined for three points (2g, 1a). The Great Eight did not record a shot on goal, though, and received the fifth-least ice time (14:25) on the team.
  • Spencer Carbery mentioned pregame that Jakub Vrana needed to have a strong game, and the Czech winger delivered. Vrana found the scoresheet with an assist, and his play along the walls and cycling of possession in the offensive zone was impressive. Washington was at its best five-on-five with Vrana on the ice, seeing positive differentials in shot attempts (+12) and scoring chances (+8).
  • Nic Dowd got his first run out with his new wingers, and the line immediately struck for Duhaime’s two goals. The Capitals want more offense from that trio this season and early indications look like that will be entirely possible. Dowd, Duhaime, and Taylor Raddysh combined for five points (2g, 3a).
  • Washington’s new top defense pairing, Jakob Chychrun and John Carlson, saw their first ice time together against live opposition. Both players skated over 23 minutes and seemed to grow into the game well. The two offensive blueliners combined for two points (1g, 1a), six shots on goal, 12 individual shot attempts, and four individual scoring chances.
  • Logan Thompson stopped every single puck he actually saw in his first start of the season. Thompson made 25 stops and was only beaten by a deflection and two wristers from the point that made their way through several bodies in front of the net.
  • The Capitals really took it to the Devils at five-on-five despite taking on a lot of New Jersey’s top talent. They finished the night with advantages in shot attempts (+7), scoring chances (+13), and high-danger chances (+7). The only downside was they got zero power play practice time with Ovechkin in their lineup, as the only penalties called in the game were against the Capitals.

The Capitals will be back on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex bright and early Thursday, beginning with Group A practice at 9 am. Their next preseason action comes against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday at Capital One Arena.

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New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals FREE LIVE STREAM (9/25/24): Watch NHL preseason online | Time, TV, channel

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New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals FREE LIVE STREAM (9/25/24): Watch NHL preseason online | Time, TV, channel


The New Jersey Devils face the Washington Capitals in an NHL preseason season game at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 (9/25/24).

Fans can watch the match for free via a trial of fuboTV or DirecTV Stream.

Here’s what you need to know:

What: NHL preseason

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Who: Washington Capitals vs. New Jersey Devils

When: Wednesday, September 25, 2024 (9/25/24)

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Where: Prudential Center

TV: NHL Network

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Live stream: fuboTV and DirecTV Stream

Here’s a recent AP NHL story:

John Tortorella had a former hockey coach help him Monday at Philadelphia Flyers training camp — the father of the late John and Matthew Gaudreau, who was an invited guest.

The Flyers tapped their sticks in appreciation of Guy Gaudreau, a former hockey coach at Hollydell Ice Arena and Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey, when he hit the ice to assist with drills during practice. The Flyers shook Gaudreau’s hand at the end of the skate in appreciation and thanked him for helping out.

“He was hesitant at first, and we kind of let him go at his timetable,” Tortorella said. “I think it worked out really well today. I gave him my camp book. We’re going to check in next week and see if we can get him out here a couple more times and have him be part of it. I don’t want it to be, ‘Just come out here.’ I want him to be part of it. I think it will be therapeutic for him to be around us and run some drills.”

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Tortorella said he had never met Gaudreau, a former hockey player and coach who raised his family nearby, until Monday’s practice in New Jersey. Tortorella said Gaudreau had an open invitation to return and help the Flyers at any point.

“I never met Johnny and Matt in my travels as coach,” Tortorella told reporters at the Flyers’ complex in Voorhees. “But their family’s here. Horrific situation going on. He’s a coach. He’s done some great work with some of the youth out here. I figured it’s perfect just to get him in with us.”

Tortorella joked that Gaudreau was giving him a hard time for yelling at players to skate harder during practice.

“A lot of people know him in the organization because of his reputation,” Tortorella said.

Tortorella attended the brothers’ funeral last month in a Philadelphia suburb.

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“I thought the two wives were so strong in how they handled themselves,” Tortorella said. “No one can imagine. No one can. I’m hoping to get to know the family. I think a number of coaches want to get to know the family, the girls, Matt’s family. It’s just horrible what happened. It’s still pretty fresh. It’s here. It’s with us. Down the street. We just want to be part of it and try and help.”

John Gaudreau’s widow, Meredith, wrote on social media how much Tortorella’s gesture meant to the family.

“John & Matty would love this. They’re both so proud of their dad, I know this made them smile as they watched down from heaven,” she wrote, adding a heart emoji.

John Gaudreau, the Columbus Blue Jackets star, and his brother, Matthew, were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding bicycles on a rural road in South Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding. The driver who police say struck them is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

John Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.

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“We don’t want it to be an everyday story,” Tortorella said. “We just want to help. To be in a locker room, coach to coach, player to coach, guys talking to him, I just hope it helps a little bit.”

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