Quality Public Education for All New Jersey Students

 

 
     5-1-12 REVISED GRADUATION RATES per County-District, AS RELEASED 120501
     5-1-12 Department of Education Release explains policy rationals for new rate methodology, federal requirements for revision of gradnuation rates
     4-11,12-12 p.m - Governor's Press Release re Priority, Focus and Rewards Schools Final list...PolitickerNJ and NJ Spotlight articles
     November Elections for Schools - Department of Education FAQ's
     List of PRIORITY, FOCUS and REWARDS SCHOOLS per DOE Application on ESEA (NCLB) Waiver
     Education Transformation Task Force Initial Report...45 recommendations for starters
     7-14-11 DOE Guidance on Local Options for using Additional State School Aid in FY'12 State Budget.PDF
     7-14-11 State GUIDANCE re: Using Additional State Aid as Property Tax Relief in this FY'12 Budget year.PDF
     FY'12 State School Aid District-by-District Listing, per Appropriations Act, released 110711
     7-12-11 pm District by District Listing of State Aid for FY'12 - Guidelines to be released later this week (xls)
     Democrat Budget Proposal per S4000, for Fiscal Year 2011-2012
     Additional School Aid [if the school funding formula,SFRA, were fully funded for all districts] per Millionaires' Tax bill S2969
     4-29-11 BOOMERANG! Near 80 per cent of School Budgets Passed in Wednesday'sSchool Elections
     4-7-11 Gov. Christie - 'Addressing New Jersey's Most Pressing Education Challenges'
     GSCS - Local District Listing : Local Funds Transferred to Charter Schools 2001-2010
     GSCS Bar Chart: Statewide Special Education cost percent compared to Regular & Other Instructional cost percent 2004-2011
     Link to Teacher Evaluation Task Force Report
     1-24-11 GSCSS Testimony before Assembly Education Committee: Charter School Reform
     1-13-11 Supreme Court Appoints Special Master for remand Hearing
     7-21-10 List of bills in Governor's 'Toolkit'
     Office on Legislative Services Analysis of Department of Educaiton - State Budget for FY'11
     4-21-10 DOE posts election results
     4-15-10 Education Week - Education Secretary recommends federal funds to 'preserve' education jobs
     3-23-10 GSCS Testimony presented to Senate Budget Committee on State Budget FY'11
     GSCS - Formula Aid Loss and Percent Loss by District - Statewide
     GSCS - Formula Aid Loss under 50%, by County
     GSCS - Formula Aid Loss of 50% or more, by County
     State Aid 2010 Reserve Calculation and Appeal Procedures
     School Aid Withheld Spreadsheet
     1-13-10 Christie's New Commissioner of Education to be announced today - 12:30 Statehouse Press Conference
     1-13-10 New Commissioner of Education to be announced today - 12:30 Statehouse Press Conference
     STATE BOARD of EDUCATION 2009-2010 MEETINGS SCHEDULE
     10-2-09 News of Note
     10-1-09 Education Week on Acheivement Gap narrowing; Algebra Testing
     ARRA funding guidelines& NJ accountability summary - links from Federal Government
     August 2009 Information on Federal Stimulus funding supporting school districts Fiscal Year 2009-2010
     7-22-09 'State gives extra aid for schools an extraordinary boost'
     7-16-08 Schools Testing measures adopted; Test scoring upgraded - harder to pass
     6-26-09 Executive Director to GSCS Trustees; Wrap Up Report - State Budget and Assembly bills this week
     6-18-09 NJ toughens high school graduation requirements
     6-10-09 Education Week on Abbott Decision
     6-9-09 COMMENTARY on Supreme Court Abbott school funding decisio
     5-09 GSCS ASKS - Education funding questions- school districts need answers
     5-19-09 Treasurer David Rousseau announces additional round of cuts to Gov's proposed State Budget FY2009-2010
     5-14-09 GSCS Heads Up - State Aid payments to be delayed into next Fiscal Year
     4-23-09 The public shows its support for public education in passing nearly 75% of school budgets statewide
     4-22-09 Statewide County by County Results FY0910 School Budget Elections
     4-22-09 Statewide District by District Results FY0910 School Budget Elections
     4-22-09 Department of Education releases recap of school budget vote, 73.5 passage rate
     4-21-09 Today is School Board Election Day - Remember to Vote
     090416 DOE RELEASE - Fed'l StimulusTITLE 1 ALLOCATIONS
     090416 DOE RELEASE - Fed'l Stimulus IDEA ALLOCATIONS
     3-25-09 Judge Doyne makes recommendation to Supreme Court on Abbott v School Funding Reform Act
     3-26 & 27-09 Abbott recommendation back to Supreme Court: - editorials & articles
     3-09 School Facilities Grant Program - Regular Operating Districts: Allocations & Analysis Round One
     Title 1 funding charts - Same as immediately below, but in PDF form: Latest Title 1 'preliminary' funding under the ARRA 3-09
     2-23-09 'There's no formula for fairness in school aid case'
     NJ District listing, Title One & IDEA under federal stimulus law
     11-25-08 Perspective piece criticizes recent Supreme Court Abbott decision
     9-24-08 Supreme Court hearing on constitutionality of School Funding Reform Act
     SAVE THE DATE - OCT. 7TH
     NJ League of Municipalities & NJ Dept of Education Education Forum Invitation
     6-4-08 Education Week Releases 'Diplomas Count' report & data
     Estimated 2008-2009 State Aid by County & District
     Annual School Budget Election Results by County Percentage of Budgets Approved, 1994-2007
     Compares Total Per Pupil State Aid (minus adjustments) under new formula - '06'07 to '08'09
     11-20-07 RELEASE OF NEW SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA LIKELY TO BE DELAYED UNTIL AFTER THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
     11-13-07 Speaker Roberts & Assembly Democrats Affordable Housing Proposal
     GSCS School Funding Paper 'Funding NJ's Schools...Finding a Workable Solution' distributed 10-22-07 at Press Conf in Trenton
     UPDATED - Possible Spec. Educ. Aid Loss to districts (based on current aid per current, yet outdated by 6 years, CEIFA distribution) if state chooses to 'wealth-equalize' this aid in a future formula
     10-23-07 NJSBA write up on GSCS Press Conf. re 'Funding NJ Schools...Finding a Workable Solution'
     GSCS School Funding Paper distributed 10-22-07 at Press Conf in Trenton
     10-23 Media reports & Trenton responses to date re GSCS Press Conf
     Spec. Educ. Aid Loss to districts (based on current aid per current, yet outdated by 6 years, CEIFA distribution) if state chooses to 'wealth-equalize' this aid in a future formula
     9-20-07 New Jersey School Boards Assoc. Releases its Report on Special Education
     Background Paper: Public School Funding in Massachusetts 7-07
     7-31-07 EMAILNET Status of School Funding Formula, more
     Tax Foundation 'Background Paper' Appropriation by Litigation
     8-7-07 'State rebuilds school construction program'
     7-26-07 Council on Local Mandates reverses DOE spec ed regulation
     7-26-07 Education Law Center on school funding reform via is subgroup report
     Excel Spreadsheet on New DFG's based on 2000 census
     STATEWIDE DATA and more: Charts, Reports
     Important School Funding Data Reports
     5-21-07 In Connecticut '2 School Aid Plans Have a Similar Theme'
     APRIL '07 MOODY's OUTLOOK ON SCHOOLS -NEGATIVE
     3-26-07 Education Week 'Quality Counts 2006' on NJ School Policy
     3-25-07 New York Times on NJ Comparative Spending Guide, more on Gov putting off signing A1, Tax Caps & Rebate bill
     2-27-07 Department of Education Power Point on State Aid for FY07-08 compared to FY 06-07
     2-14-07 GSCS letter to Gov Corzine & Commr of Education Davy - Request for State Aid FY0708
     2-7-07 Department of Education Releases 2006 School Report Cards
     2-7-07 School funding, school audits - need for new formula underscored
     Scheduled for Monday 1-22-07& website to study on cost to local taxpayers when school funding formula ingored by state
     11-15-06 The Special Session Jt Committee Reports
     11-11-06 'GSCS is working hard on the behalf of hundreds of school communities across the state'
     11-10-06 NJ education chief vows urban support
     11-6-06 The need for special education funding to stay as a 'categorical' aid based on each students disability is real
     Nov 2006 Special Aid loss to districts if aid were based on current ability-to-pay formula
     10-21-06 Education Data Study Released - how the news is being reported
     10-30-06 NY Times
     9-5-06 GSCS Testimony on cost saving meaures in Trenton
     Some Abbott funding history see May 27 1998 - Education Week article on Abbott V court decision
     School Budget Elections 2006 Summary Data
     6-12-06 EMAILNET - Extraordinary Special Education student aid; FY07 Budget 'crunch' is on; news clips
     Assembly Speaker Roberts proposes 'CORE' plan for schools & towns
     GSCS Charts show pressure on school funding
     FUNDING HISTORY- some articles
     3-28-06 State Budget FY07 - GSCS testimony before Assembly Budget Comm
     Funding Coalition submits paper 'Beginning Discussions on School Funding Reform'
     Governor Corzine takes steps towards major policy initiatives.
     3-28-06 NY Times re Texas school finance case
     3-24-06 EMAILNET FYI Update on Gov Corzine's Budget FY07
     3-23-06 EMAILNET Corzine says some Abbotts can raise taxes
     3-24-06 Schools learn who wins, loses in Corzine budget
     2-10-06 Star Ledger editorial re void of credible & useful data at Department of Education
     Dept Ed Directive 7-6-05: School Construction Sec 15 Grant Funding for more than 450 districts questionable
     EMAILNET 2-1-06 GSCS Advocacy FY07 Budget; On the Homepage Today
     2003 GSCS letter to legislators
     1-26-06 New York Times article re public schools fundraising for private support
     1-25-06 Star Ledger 'School District's Woes Point to Rising Tax Resistance'
     GSCS Testimony 2003 on Suggestions for School Funding - issues similar to 2005-6
     1-19-06 EMAILNET Quick Facts, On the Homepage Today
     EMAILNET 1-5-06 quick facts & State Board school funding Legal Committee decision
     Philadelphia Inquirer 6-16-05 Commissioner Librera Release Abbott Designation Report
     December 2005 Harvard Famiily Research Project Links
     Education Week article May 1998 Re Abbott Ruling 'High Court Ends School Funding Issues May 1998
     Standard & Poors Release Achievement Gap Study 8-23-05
     10-5-05 PRESS BRIEFING ON SCHOOL AID & FUNDING SPONSORED by Ad Hoc School Finance Discussion Group, GSCS is participant...10-6-05 ASbury Park Press (Gannett) & Press of Atlantic City articles
     Statehouse Press Briefing October 5, 2005 Notes & Handouts - Update on NJ School Finance
     Debt Service v State Share 0 to 40 Districts Before and After S200
     How State Figures Sending Districts' Per Pupil Cost
     GSCS School Funding and S1701 Power Point - February 2005
     DOE Announces NCLB-Designated Districts In Need of Improvement
     Rutgers-Eagleton Insitute analysis of property taxes-education funding issues
     Designation of Abbott Districts Criteria and Process
     NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts
     Standard & Poors National and State and School Data and Analyses
     Standard & Poors Releases Achievement Gap Study 8-23-05
3-26 & 27-09 Abbott recommendation back to Supreme Court: - editorials & articles
3-26-09 New formula for funding N.J. schools ruled legal Judge's decision could end the state's Abbott program THE STAR-LEDGER

NORTHJERSEY.COM - UPDATE 3-26-09: Judge's ruling could mean end of Abbott schools funding

STAR LEDGER EDITORIAL - Reinventing the Abbott ruling in New Jersey - 3-27-09 "We have reached a watershed moment for public school funding in New Jersey.After three weeks of hearings, a judge found Gov. Jon Corzine's plan to overhaul the state aid formula meets the constitutional requirement to provide a "thorough and efficient" education for every student...By and large, we think the judge got it right..."

Doblin: Corzine - No straight man in an Abbott comedy routin-THE RECORD, 3-27-09 "...A Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that the governor's new school aid formula is constitutional. While that decision will bounce back up to the state Supreme Court, with his approval rating dropping like a fly ball and the state's middle class squeezed like a Valencia orange, this is a huge victory for the governor up for reelection...This is real middle-class relief. This is real education reform. This is progress..."

New formula for funding N.J. schools ruled legal

Judge's decision could end the state's Abbott program

Thursday, March 26, 2009

BY KATHLEEN CARROLL

FOR THE STAR-LEDGER

A Superior Court judge declared the state's school-funding formula constitutional yesterday, ruling in favor of the Corzine administration and against advocates for poor students. The decision could abolish the controversial Abbott program, which has sent billions of state tax dollars to 31 low-income districts including Elizabeth, Perth Amboy and Newark.

A new funding formula that treats all districts the same "represents a thoughtful, progressive attempt to assist at-risk children throughout the state of New Jersey, and not only those who by happenstance reside in Abbott districts," Superior Court Judge Peter E. Doyne wrote in his decision, agreeing with the major argument of the Corzine administration.

However, he said that Abbott districts should be allowed to ask for additional aid for at least three years, to see if, in the end, they receive less state money than they need. Doyne, sitting in Hacknsack, noted that Abbott districts may face exceptional challenges due to their low local tax collection and high concentrations of poverty, agreeing with the major argument made by Abbott districts.

Gov. Jon Corzine called the ruling "a significant victory for all school children," but said he would challenge the judge's recommendation that Abbott districts have access to extra state funding for at least the next three years. The Education Law Center, which represents the Abbott districts, said its lawyers support extra funding for the districts but will continue to fight against the funding formula, because it will "shortchange our neediest and most disadvantaged students."

The matter now returns to state Supreme Court, which mandated the special state aid as part of the landmark Abbott v. Burke school-funding case. In the class-action suit, lawyers for poor children successfully argued the school funding formula failed to ensure enough money was spent in low-income communities to provide the "thorough and efficient" public education guaranteed by New Jersey's constitution.

The Corzine administration last year asked the Supreme Court to void Abbott mandates, arguing that a new school funding formula fairly shares state aid among New Jersey's 616 districts. The case landed in Hackensack after justices asked Doyne to review it and make a recommendation.

The "Abbott" designation has brought small class sizes, new buildings, preschool and full-day kindergarten to the 31 districts. But it also has pitted them against their suburban neighbors, who serve half of the state's low-income students and have watched their local taxes skyrocket over the last decade.

In Perth Amboy, school superintendent John Rodecker said being declared an Abbott district had made a big difference to the schools, allowing officials to initiate technology address class size, and purchase a site for a future school, which has not yet been built. The city has about 9,000 students, in 11 schools.

Rodecker said Perth Amboy did well this year under the new funding formula, because spending there is still below the "adequacy" level, but he did not know what would happen going forward if the Supreme Court ultimately sided with Doyne's decision.

"Once we do reach adequacy there is a concern about being able to support the programs we now offer," Rodecker said. "It could mean less money for us in years to come, but at present time we don't know that."

In Elizabeth, also an Abbott district, school district spokesman Donald Goncalves said officials are hopeful that when the state Supreme Court will note side with Doyne's recommendation.

"We're of the strong belief that the Abbott versus Burke decision created positive academic achievement in Elizabeth schools," Goncalves said. The district has about 20,000 students.

"Elizabeth has been successful in using Abbott funds for reducing the achievement gap. We feel we are a high-performing district as a result of the commitment of the taxpayers of New Jersey," he said.

The new school funding formula awards aid based on enrollment, and then adds extra money per student for every student who is poor, has limited proficiency in English or receives special-education services. State officials have said it is superior to the current system, which calculates aid for Abbott and non-Abbott districts separately. But that special, separate status also shielded Abbott districts from the freezes in state school aid that the 585 non-Abbott districts had to contend with earlier this decade.

The decision is a "a quantum change from the longtime tradition of how the Abbott schools have been treated via the Supreme Court and the state, said Lynne Strickland, executive director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, an advocacy group of about 100 suburban districts in New Jersey.

"It signals a new horizon in how school funding can be looked at by the Supreme Court and the state of New Jersey," she said. Strickland was cautiously supportive about Doyne's decision.

"For many years we've been living under a bifurcated system of school funding -- one for the Abbotts and one for everybody else. We are no longer divided by the semantic of Abbott and non-Abbott. We can talk about an agenda for poor kids no matter where they live," she said.

Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), who chairs the Assembly Education Committee, said Judge Doyne "has validated the approach the Legislature and Gov. Corzine took to ensure every child gets the educational help they need, no matter where they live.

"I hope that the state Supreme Court will act quickly to accept Judge Doyne's findings and reiterate the simple truth that with the right tools every child can succeed. Providing every child with a quality education should not just be something called for in a written formula, but something that is backed-up with actual dollars."

Kathleen Carroll is a reporter for the Record and may be reached at carroll@northjersey.com. Star-Ledger reporters Jeanette Rundquist and Kristen Alloway contributed to this report.


UPDATE: Judge's ruling could mean end of Abbott schools funding

Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Last updated: Wednesday March 25, 2009, 10:34 PM

BY KATHLEEN CARROLL

NorthJersey.com

STAFF WRITER

New Jersey’s effort to right educational wrongs by bankrolling a group of low-income school districts came one step closer to an end on Wednesday.

Judge Peter E. Doyne of Superior Court in Hackensack declared the state’s school-funding formula constitutional, ruling in favor of the Corzine administration and against advocates for poor students. The decision could abolish the controversial Abbott program, which has sent billions of state tax dollars to 31 low-income districts including Paterson, Passaic and Garfield.

A new funding formula that treats all districts the same “represents a thoughtful, progressive attempt to assist at-risk children throughout the state of New Jersey, and not only those who by happenstance reside in Abbott districts,” Doyne wrote in a 280-page decision, agreeing with the major argument of the Corzine administration.

However, he said that Abbott districts should be allowed to ask for additional aid for at least three years, to see if, in the end, they receive less state money than they need. Doyne noted that Abbott districts may face exceptional challenges due to their low local tax collection and high concentrations of poverty, agreeing with the major argument made by Abbott districts.

Passaic Superintendent Robert Holster said he applauded that decision, because “there’s still an open door for Abbott districts to demonstrate need.”

Governor Corzine called the ruling “a significant victory for all school children,” but said he would challenge the judge’s recommendation that Abbott districts have access to extra state funding for at least the next three years.

The Education Law Center, which represents the Abbott districts, said its lawyers support extra funding for the districts but will continue to fight against the funding formula, because it will “shortchange our neediest and most disadvantaged students.”

The matter now returns to state Supreme Court, which mandated the special state aid as part of the landmark Abbott v. Burke school-funding case. In the class-action suit, lawyers for poor children successfully argued that the school funding formula failed to ensure enough money was spent in low-income communities to provide the “thorough and efficient” public education guaranteed by New Jersey’s constitution.

The Corzine administration last year asked the Supreme Court to void Abbott mandates, arguing that a new school funding formula fairly shares state aid among New Jersey’s 616 districts. The case landed in Hackensack after justices asked Doyne to review it and make a recommendation.

The “Abbott” designation has brought small class sizes, new buildings, pre-school and full-day kindergarten to the 31 districts. But it also has pitted them against their suburban neighbors, who serve half of the state’s low-income students and have watched their local taxes skyrocket over the last decade.

In Garfield, Bergen County’s only Abbott district, officials said they would not be sad to see the designation go.

“To a certain extent, I feel it stigmatizes districts,” Business Administrator Dennis Frohnapfel said. “In the new formula, the money follows the student, and that’s a good concept&hellip The new funding formula has certainly benefited Garfield.”

The district has received greater amounts of aid since the state began using the new school funding formula last year, he said.

“They recalculated the aid based on our population, and since our special education population is increasing, the funding increased,” he said.

The new school funding formula awards aid based on enrollment, and then adds extra money per student for every student who is poor, has limited proficiency in English or receives special-education services. State officials have said it is superior to the system that calculates aid for Abbott and non-Abbott districts separately. But that special, separate status also shielded Abbott districts from the freezes in state school aid that the 585 non-Abbott districts had to contend with earlier this decade.

Lynne Strickland, who heads an advocacy group that primarily represents suburban districts, said she was heartened that the opinion was one that would help stabilize the debate over school funding in the state.

“It gives us a chance to step back, take a breath and work together to get ahead for the benefit of all the kids,” said Strickland, executive director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools. “The Abbott decision divided us for so long.”

Assemblyman Scott Rumana, R-Wayne, applauded the ruling.

“For far too long our suburban districts have been forced to provide an unfair and disproportionate share of the school funding burden for Abbott districts,” he said in a statement. “While Northern New Jersey suburban school districts remained flat-funded for years, Trenton poured billions of taxpayer money into Abbott schools, resulting in runaway property tax bills.”

But some in affluent North Jersey districts are critical of the funding formula, which also prescribes an “adequacy” amount of how much districts should spend per student. They worry that the new funding formula will lower the bar for everyone.

Doyne’s opinion “shattered faith in common sense,” said Richard Snyder, a Ramsey school trustee and executive director of Dollars and Sense, a Bergen-based school funding advocacy group.

State Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-Cresskill, noted he was one of the few Republicans who voted in favor of the new school funding formula last year.

“This [new] formula is a way of phasing out Abbott without retreating from the notion that all kids deserve educational opportunity,” he said.

Staff writers Patricia Alex, Jennifer H. Cunningham, Giovanna Fabiano and John Reitmeyer contributed to this story.

E-mail: carroll@northjersey.com

 

 

 

Doblin: Corzine - No straight man in an Abbott comedy routine

Friday, March 27, 2009

By ALFRED DOBLIN
RECORD EDITORIAL COLUMNIST

 

JON CORZINE finally caught a break. A Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that the governor's new school aid formula is constitutional. While that decision will bounce back up to the state Supreme Court, with his approval rating dropping like a fly ball and the state's middle class squeezed like a Valencia orange, this is a huge victory for the governor up for reelection.

The so-called Abbott court decisions that ultimately created 31 special-needs school districts have become a "six-letter" four-letter word to the state's middle class. The state Supreme Court created Abbott districts to ensure that all New Jersey children have a "thorough and efficient" education. The results have been mixed.

In some Abbott districts, the quality of education improved, but not in all. Of most concern to the residents of the state's 585 non-Abbott districts is that public money – billions of it – was disproportionately poured into Abbott districts. And that many of them were not managing their largesse well. For example, the Paterson school district became notorious for so mismanaging Schools Construction Corp. money that it paid for the repair of a Mahwah firetruck with that funding.

Abbott evolved from a progressive court ruling into bad Abbott and Costello, with "Who" and "What" off the field, running wild with public funding. Enter catcher Corzine in a navy sweater vest.

Corzine wasn't successful pitching asset monetization. It may be he's least effective on the mound. But he has had continued success directing others to aim at what seemed an insurmountably high wall: Abbott funding.

The governor's first attorney general, the Penelope Pitstop of lawyers, Zulima Farber, did accomplish one thing before she sped off to political oblivion. She convinced the state Supremes that Abbott funding could not be increased as the state struggled to balance its budget.

Corzine went further. By creating a new funding formula, his administration is trying to dismantle Abbott and create something more equitable. For once, New Jersey is not throwing money at a problem. It is attaching money to students.

Districts with high numbers of poor and non-English speaking students will receive more funding than a more affluent district that has fewer children with special needs. What will not continue is the assumption that 31 Abbott districts continue to need the same levels of funding.

While there are success stories to applaud, the Schools Construction Corp. blew through billions of dollars and built too few schools. It was a money tree shaken bare by the greedy and the incompetent. Municipalities dumped unwanted real estate. School designs were not uniform. And the cost savings that could have been achieved by building en masse never occurred.

The SCC was killed, buried and recreated. But the funding formula remained the same. Ironically, the Corzine administration is not entirely happy with the court's latest ruling. The court recommends that Abbott districts have access to additional funding for three more years. Considering that Abbott funding has been like a narcotic to some districts, what amounts to a fiscal fix of methadone is not surprising.

What New Jerseyans should note is that "the unfixable" is improving and it's a liberal politician that is doing it. This is huge. It's bigger than the new Fairway Market in Paramus.

The state Supreme Court should recognize that Abbott doesn't work. Yes, some schools improved. And yes, the state has a constitutional requirement to provide a thorough and efficient education to every child. But every means every — that means the children living in the 585 non-Abbott districts, as well.

The governor has little control over lowering local property taxes. But by changing the school funding formula, he is at least giving taxpayers more control over where their money goes. In the ongoing race for the governor's office, Republicans will be hard-pressed to spin this court decision to their advantage. Liberal Corzine came up with an exit strategy out of Abbott.

Rather than lament Abbott districts' three years of fiscal rehab, the Corzine folks should be celebrating this big time. This is real middle-class relief. This is real education reform. This is progress.

Corzine caught a political break when he needed it: Today. Which, by the way, is the name of the catcher in the famous Abbott and Costello routine.

Alfred P. Doblin is the editorial page editor of The Record. Contact him at doblin@northjersey.com

STAR LEDGER EDITORIAL - Reinventing the Abbott ruling in New Jersey

 March 27, 2009

We have reached a watershed moment for public school funding in New Jersey.

After three weeks of hearings, a judge found Gov. Jon Corzine's plan to overhaul the state aid formula meets the constitutional requirement to provide a "thorough and efficient" education for every student.

If Judge Peter E. Doyne's recommendations are accepted by the state Supreme Court, it would mean the end of "Abbott" as we know it.

Since the high court's 1990 ruling known as Abbott vs. Burke II, certain school districts -- mostly urban, with high concentrations of poor residents and relatively low property values -- have been entitled to special state aid.

What began as a noble effort to equalize educational opportunity has, over time, developed its own inequities. Judge Doyne, appointed by the Supreme Court to review the new funding plan, took full measure of the Abbott system:

‡¤Total state aid to the 31 Abbott districts for 2008-2009 is $4.65 billion -- 55 percent of all state aid to schools.

‡¤Twenty-three percent of students are in Abbott districts; 77 percent in non-Abbotts. And 49 percent of students considered to be disadvantaged are in non-Abbott districts.

‡¤Districts in the lowest socio-economic categories that are not considered sufficiently "urban" to qualify under Abbott are deprived of the benefits.

‡¤On average, the Abbott districts are actually capable of raising more local tax money per pupil than some wealthier districts.

"The time for reform is now," Judge Doyne wrote.

By and large, we think the judge got it right.

The central idea of Corzine's funding plan is that aid for disadvantaged students follows the students, not the boundaries of 31 districts. The new formula takes into account a number of variables to provide extra assistance where it is needed to help children who are poor, have limited English proficiency or are in need of special education.

However, a lot will depend on whether the state continues to live up to the spirit of Abbott. Time will tell if the end result of this new formula leaves poor children in urban districts more vulnerable than before, and if gains under Abbott evaporate under new economic pressures. Corzine has demonstrated his commitment to education, one of the only areas where his new budget proposal calls for more spending, but his policies will not bind future governors and lawmakers.

There is no denying that over the years, non-Abbott districts have watched in dismay as their property taxes went through the roof, and Abbott districts such as Newark, Paterson -- and even Jersey City and Hoboken -- got billions of additional aid. There was a growing sense that the Abbott designation had outlived its usefulness, had calcified around old arguments and circumstances that no longer applied.

But we also think it was correct for Doyne to leave the door open for supplemental funding for three years. There are a lot of unknowns about how the state will implement its plan, and if Abbott experience is any guide, there's a lot that can go wrong.

School construction in the Abbott districts was a debacle as a result of state mismanagement. Administrators in the Abbott districts have complained of an onerous and often adversarial process for obtaining supplemental funds when needed. The judge urged the court to require improvements in that process.

Abbott funding allowed many urban districts to effect real change in ways that have improved the education of poor children, including providing early childhood classes, smaller class sizes, professional development for teachers and better facilities. It defined a basic standard for urban districts, cast a harsh spotlight on inequities and required the state to take responsibility for addressing those failings.

The sentiment that Abbott districts have become mere money pits is not borne out by any number of independent audits. One former school official noted that a two-year audit of the Newark Public Schools by KPMG questioned $400,000 out of $2 billion in spending. That's a better record than any number of corporations under the spotlight in recent days.

We've long known that urban school districts with concentrated poverty have special needs beyond what the schools are equipped to address. With or without Abbott, the burden remains on the state to fulfill its obligations for the students with the greatest need -- wherever they live.