Jessie Gómez

Jessie Gómez, a reporter at Chalkbeat Newark, dives into the contentious world of New Jersey's public education funding. She breaks down how property taxes and student needs impact school aid, highlighting disparities in funding. Gómez discusses gubernatorial candidates Mikie Sherrill’s and Jack Cittarelli’s contrasting plans for modernizing the funding formula and implementing a per-student funding standard. The episode also addresses the challenges of teacher shortages and the effects of charter schools on local budgets, illustrating the complexity of education policy in the state.