Chris Christie in 2011 Governor's State of the State speeches
On Education:
Expand 73 charter schools to replace 200 failing schools
We cannot ask children and families stuck in chronically failing public schools to wait any longer. It is not acceptable that a child who is neglected in a New Jersey school must accept it because of their zip code. We must give parents and children a
choice to attend better schools.Over 100,000 students are trapped in nearly 200 failing schools. We need to tell those children, and those families, trapped in poor schools that we are coming--and that before this Legislature goes home we will give
them more help toward improvement, more hope, and more choice. We must expand the charter school program beyond the six we approved this year and the 73 operating in New Jersey. That is a top priority. I am ready to work with the Legislature to attract
the best charter school operators in America to New Jersey; to increase our authorizing capacity so they can start charter schools here; & to implement the interdistrict school choice law we passed last year.
Source: 2011 N.J. State of the State Address
Jan 11, 2011
On Social Security:
Raise the retirement age, and limit COLA, for state workers
We must tackle this year is our antiquated and unsustainable pension and benefit system. - Without reform, pension and health care benefit costs will increase by more than 40% over the next four years.
- Without reform, the unfunded liability wil
grow, from $54 billion today to a staggering $183 billion within 30 years.
- Without reform, the required annual pension contribution by the state will grow to over $13 billion annually over that same time period.
- Without reform, the beneficiaries
of the system face a high risk of catastrophe which would place ALL of their benefits at risk.
We must modestly raise the retirement age in an era of longer life expectancy. We must curb the effect of COLAs in a time of low or no inflation. And we
must ensure a modest but acceptable contribution from employees toward their own retirement system. Without reform, the problem we face is simple: Benefits are too rich, and contributions are too small, and the system is on a path to bankruptcy.
Source: 2011 N.J. State of the State Address
Jan 11, 2011
Page last updated: Dec 04, 2018