Some NJ high school students ditch class to protest budget cuts; event organized on Facebook

Some NJ students walk out of class to protest cuts

MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. — High school students in New Jersey are walking out of class to protest proposed budget cuts.

Walkouts, organized on Facebook, were reported in southern and central New Jersey, with more planned throughout Tuesday.

It wasn’t clear how many of the state’s roughly 400,000 public high school students would join in.

The protest comes after voters in 59 percent of the state’s school districts rejected property tax levies to pay for schools.

The battle over school funding has been especially acrimonious since Gov. Chris Christie’s budget proposal last month called for an average decrease of about 11 percent in school aid.

The state’s largest teacher’s union says students are “engaging in civil disobedience” but shouldn’t walk out of class.