Today, the New Jersey Supreme Court made the decision that the state must spend an additional $500 million on public education in Abbott districts, or high poverty schools, next year.
Governor Christie has argued that the state doesn’t have the funds and spurred the legal battle over whether his education budget cuts last year were unconstitutional.
According to NJSpotlight.com, the state Supreme Court ruled in a narrow 3-2 opinion that the state must spend an estimated $500 million in additional funding next year in the 31 so-called Abbott districts. An article by NorthJersey.com states that “Abbott districts have 21 percent of the state’s 1.4 million school children.”
There are no Baristaville schools designated as Abbott districts, however neighboring Abbott districts are:
- Newark
- Orange
- East Orange
- Passaic City
- Paterson
- Irvington
“I intend to comply with the Supreme Court’s order. The constitutional ball is now in the Legislature’s court,” Christie stated at a news conference after the decision was made. He also called the school funding formula a “failed legal and educational theory.”
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