Teacher Union Endorses Republican BettyLou DeCroce In NJ-26 – Caldwells, NJ Patch

CALDWELLS, NJ — One of the largest teacher unions in New Jersey has thrown its support behind Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce in her re-election campaign for the 26th District.

Earlier this week, the PAC wing of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) announced endorsements for 59 candidates for election to the state Assembly in the upcoming November election.

The list includes Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce, a Republican who represents the 26th District (Morris, Essex, Passaic counties).

DeCroce and fellow incumbent Jay Webber, also a Republican, will face off against Democratic challengers Christine Clarke and Laura Fortgang on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Clarke also earned a thumbs-up from the NJEA for 2019. See their full list of endorsements.

The state’s 26th District includes the following towns in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties: Butler, Fairfield, Jefferson, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park, Montville, Morris Plains, North Caldwell, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Rockaway Township, Verona, West Caldwell and West Milford.

According to Ballotpedia, here’s how many votes each candidate received in the June primary election:

  • Jay Webber – 9,475
  • BettyLou DeCroce – 8,851
  • Laura Fortgang – 4,325
  • Christine Clarke – 4,286

DeCroce said she was honored by the endorsement from the NJEA, which represents more than 200,000 teachers, certificated staff, educational support professionals and retired/student members.

“Even before I came into the Legislature in 2012 and landed on the Assembly education committee, I had always been supportive of our hardworking teachers and deeply interested in how we are supporting our education system,” DeCroce said.

“Our teachers deserve our strong support, and that requires the state maintaining public confidence in how we spend more than $13 billion each year on education services,” DeCroce continued. “We must continue to demand transparency and accountability on how the state is spending those tax dollars, most of which are allocated in direct aid to our local school districts.”

DeCroce said she values a “bi-partisan approach” to tackling state issues, especially when it involves the public education system.

“We are at our best when we work to reach consensus to solve problems in this state,” she said.

DeCroce serves on the state Joint Committee on the Public Schools, which provides an ongoing review of public schools, school financing, administration and operations, often resulting in the committee making recommendations for legislative action. She also has served on the Assembly Education Committee, Assembly Higher Education Committee and Assembly Women and Children Committee

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