N.J. Supreme Court backs Gov. Jon Corzine's revised school-funding plan

TRENTON -- The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled today a revised school aid formula can succeed the landmark Abbott school funding case that has sent billions of dollars to the state's poorest communities during the past 30 years .

In its unanimous ruling, the court said that the state's plan for school aid, the School Funding Reform Act that lawmakers adopted last year at the behest of Gov. Jon Corzine, is "a constitutionally adequate scheme."

The opinion, written by Justice Jaynee LaVecchia, said New Jersey must review the system for its fairness in three years.

"There is no absolute guarantee that (the revised funding plan) will achieve the results desired by all," the opinion states. "The political branches of government, however, are entitled to take reasoned steps, even if the outcome cannot be assured, to address the pressing social, economic and educational challenges confronting our state."

In a series of decisions, the state Supreme Court has ordered that New Jersey's poorest communities be funded on par with the state's wealthiest. The formula adopted last year instead distributes state school aid based on enrollment, with extra money going to districts with high concentrations of students who are poor, have special needs or have limited English skills.

In a statement released this afternoon, Corzine called today's ruling "truly historic," saying the decision "brings to conclusion decades of conflict and litigation that many thought would never end."

"By agreeing that the new funding formula is constitutional and that the prior Abbott remedies are no longer necessary, the court has allowed us to focus in a unified and predictable way on meeting our obligation to all of our children while in no way prejudicing those who have benefited from the Abbott rulings in the past," Corzine said in the statement.

New Jersey Education Commissioner Lucille Davy said in the joint statement that "For the first time in years, state aid allocation will be based on educational needs of students and not where they live."

Advocates for the 300,000 students in the Abbott districts, including the Education Law Center in Newark, have argued that continued court intervention is crucial for ensuring poor children get an adequate education and their districts continue to advance.