Newark NJ, November 28, 2006

The Joint Legislative Committee on School Funding Reform is recommending that a new state school funding formula end the landmark Abbott v. Burke programs and reforms for students in poor urban school districts. The recommendation, if enacted by the full Legislature, would bring an abrupt halt to the historic educational progress now underway in New Jersey’s high poverty, high minority urban schools. It would also violate the constitutional rights of Abbott school children, leading to yet another round of costly, time-consuming litigation.

The recommendation is contained in contained in a November 15th report that was formally released by the Joint Committee on November 27th.

However, Committee member Assemblyman Brian Stack of Union City expressed his strong opposition to any move to eliminate Abbott. Another committee member, Senator Joseph Doria, who represents Jersey City and Bayonne, made clear his view that any new funding formula would have to continue providing additional support to poorer urban school districts that serve high concentrations of disadvantaged students.

In his comments on the Report, Assemblyman Stack voiced support for a new funding formula that provides adequate funding for all New Jersey students to achieve State academic standards. Stack, however, made clear that this goal can only be accomplished by continuing and strengthening the Abbott reforms, not ending them. According to Stack:

"The children in our Abbott districts are overwhelmingly poor, children of color, and children with special needs. They also attend schools which the Court has found suffered from severe educational neglect, over decades. The Abbott remedies were put in place to meet these special challenges -- the challenge of improving schools that have the daunting task of educating most of our state’s poor and disadvantaged children.

These factors distinguish our urban schools form other all other zip codes, all other school districts, and we are morally and constitutionally obligated to provide them with the extra help they need, at least until we can be assured these schools and districts are meeting state academic standards."

Assemblyman Stack also cited the annual Kids Count report on child poverty in New Jersey, just released by the Association for Children of New Jersey. Stack noted the Kids Count finding that the "brightest news for poor children is the improvements brought about by Abbott: high quality preschool programs, significant gains on state tests, and a substantial increase in graduation rates."

"In short," Assemblyman Stack stated, "we must find a way in a new formula to provide needy students in all communities the resources they need, while sustaining and deepening our special commitment to our poorest schools and communities."

Assemblyman Stack also raised concern about the Committee Report recommendation to base any new funding formula on the education costs developed by the NJ Department of Education in 2003. Stack expressed his deep "disappointment" that the DOE still has not released the 2003 cost study, either to the Committee or the public.

Stack noted that the 2003 study did not follow the rigorous process used in Maryland and other states – known as "professional judgment" – nor did the DOE address the costs associated with implementing the landmark Abbott remedies. Stack also noted that the DOE did its cost study almost 4 years ago, making them "stale and out-of-date."

Assemblyman Stack cautioned that, because of these problems, "we may need to authorize a new or revised study before [the Legislature] works on a formula."

The Committee Report asks the DOE to issue a written report of the 2003 cost study, and hold public hearings on the report. Assemblyman Stack called for "extensive hearings in various communities" around the state, and offered to host such a hearing for Hudson County residents and stakeholders.

The DOE has yet to announce whether it will comply with the Committee’s request, although Education Commissioner Lucille Davy has informally announced plans to hold a hearing on December 11th on the DOE cost study.