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Perspectives and Moving Forward:COMMENTARY ON SUPREME COURT ABBOTT DECISION- SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA CONSTITUTIONAL: 'Abbott amended; now, eliminate spending caps' NorthJersey.com by Robert Hutton, vice president of the Ridgewood Board of Education.
"THE ABBOTT decisions have been with us for more than 20 years. I don't believe the most recent state Supreme Court decision will make unfair funding formulas go away that easily..."
"Given the court's support for the new school funding formula, the only logical next step is to abolish the legislation dictating caps...The reversal of these caps would put budget decisions back where they have been and rightfully should be — in the hands of district voters...If caps remain, the end result will be the elimination of high performing districts such as Ridgewood in New Jersey."
'Verniero: From the courtrooms to the classrooms' NorthJersey.com, by Peter G. Verniero, a lawyer, formerly served as a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and state attorney general. As attorney general, he represented the state in the fourth and fifth Abbott cases..."The bottom line is this: For the time being, all three branches of government are moving in the same direction. If we could keep it that way, all of New Jersey’s school children would be the winners."
Abbott amended; now, eliminate spending caps
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
BY ROBERT HUTTON
NorthJersey.com
THE ABBOTT decisions have been with us for more than 20 years. I don't believe the most recent state Supreme Court decision will make unfair funding formulas go away that easily.
On the case at hand, I believe Governor Corzine did his homework and the Supreme Court did its vetting of all pertinent information, ultimately drawing the right conclusion. Is it over? I doubt it. But I am going to take the position of "Let's move on."
In "A good court ruling, for state and kids" (Other Views, June 3), Contributing Editor James Ahearn identified the fact that an earlier Abbott decision benchmarked the necessary spending for the Abbott districts to affluent, mostly suburban districts. The state realized a few years ago that continuing that tradition would ultimately lead to bankruptcy. So it did the next best thing: It enacted a cap on the rate of spending for all school districts.
Reversed relationship
The cap has been modified over the years to tighten the spending in those benchmarked districts. Their spending growth has slowed. However, as Ahearn points out, the average Abbott district's spending per pupil is $17,325 while the average spent in the benchmarked districts is $14,046. Regardless, the Supreme Court decision has rendered the whole benchmark concept irrelevant.
Given the court's support for the new school funding formula, the only logical next step is to abolish the legislation dictating caps. I know in Ridgewood, for our approved budget for the 2009-10 school year, we needed to remove $2.5 million of desired spending to present to the public a budget that was in line with the cap legislation. Those cuts have removed several of the aspects that make Ridgewood's public education a high quality and unique experience. Other districts had to make these hard decisions, too. Furthermore, Ridgewood's spending per pupil is below the average of the benchmarked category.
Obliterating identity
Can the cost of public education go unchecked? No. But let us not forget that budgets for public education are the only budgets that have an annual check by the voters of each district. Every board of education must evaluate the district's needs relative to the dollar amount voters are willing to accept. Voters have the right each year to demand accountability. The budget is the result of a process that combines Budgeting 101 and Marketing 101. I believe Ridgewood does a pretty good job in maximizing the value of its taxpayers' investment.
If the rules that were applied this year are applied unchanged for next year, Ridgewood will be forced to cut another $1 million in spending. We have done our best to keep cuts out of the classroom; our next option is probably increasing class size. Ridgewood's reasonable class size is what has made Ridgewood Ridgewood. An increase in class size would make yet another cut in the fabric of a quality education.
The reversal of these caps would put budget decisions back where they have been and rightfully should be — in the hands of district voters affected by that spending. If caps remain, the end result will be the elimination of high performing districts such as Ridgewood in New Jersey.
Robert Hutton is vice president of the Ridgewood Board of Education.
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Verniero: From the courtrooms to the classrooms Monday, June 8, 2009 BY PETER G. VERNIERO NorthJersey.com Peter G. Verniero, a lawyer, formerly served as a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and state attorney general. As attorney general, he represented the state in the fourth and fifth Abbott cases. IN THE AFTERMATH of the state Supreme Court’s recent school-funding decision, many are asking: Is this the end of the decades-long litigation known as Abbott v. Burke? |
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