A member of the Assembly Education Committee and prime sponsor of legislation to fund more high-impact tutoring in K-12 schools, Assemblyman Brandon Umba offered the following reaction after Governor Murphy announced his administration’s intention to expand tutoring programs and literacy instruction for more students in the State of New Jersey:

“I’ve been pounding the drum for months now that there is an extreme need for high-impact tutoring. I’m glad that Governor Murphy’s Department of Education is finally beginning to acknowledge a statewide solution is needed to solve the proficiency and literacy gaps facing too many young learners in the Garden State. These students were harmed by the Administration’s stubborn reliance on remote learning when nearly every state in the nation were already back teaching kids in school.

I stand ready to work with my colleagues, teachers, and parents to ensure this announcement is followed up with a statewide Master Plan for implementation and addressing learning loss. This is about every child in the Garden State getting a quality education and a chance to thrive. We must continue to engage in a public dialogue on this issue and treat it with the urgency it deserves.”