New Jersey School Funding: Revising the Approach to a "Thorough and Efficient" Education

Christa Spinelli

14 March 2013

The New Jersey Constitution states that, “[t]he Legislature shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of free public schools for the instruction of all the children in the State between the ages of five and eighteen years.” Although it has been about four decades since the first New Jersey decision that determined that relying solely on local property taxes was an unconstitutional way to fund public education, at-risk districts in New Jersey are still inadequate in comparison to their more affluent counterparts.

At-risk districts, those that are typically poor and urban with high concentrations of minorities, are still suffering with low standardized test scores and low graduation rates. These indicators suggest that despite the additional state and federal funding provided to at-risk school districts, these districts are still unable to provide their students with an adequate education. Because measures to achieve parity in funding with an eye toward a standard of adequacy have not substantially improved the quality of education available to students in at-risk school districts, it is time for New Jersey to look to other, not just fiscal, measures to improve the quality of education for students of all socioeconomic and racial backgrounds.

In Part II, I will introduce Holmdel and Asbury Park, and address the wide disparities between the municipalities and their school districts. I will begin by discussing the demographic and economic circumstances of each municipality. I will discuss where the sources of school funding come from. Then, I will discuss why it costs substantially more to educate a student in Asbury Park, as opposed to Holmdel. I will discuss the persistent achievement gaps between Holmdel and Asbury Park’s students. Finally, I will discuss how the issues Asbury Park is still facing have been dealt with thus far, and the failure of the remedies that have been used until this point.

In Part III, I will introduce regional school districts as a tool for integration, and the best alternative to the current system. Funds would be used more efficiently, and there will be increased diversity in schools. I will discuss the short-term and long-term benefits of a regional integration method. Using regional school districts will help to deal with the cause of educational disadvantage, uneven distribution of at-risk students throughout school districts, rather than simply increasing the funding to at-risk districts and otherwise maintaining the status quo.

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New Jersey School Funding: Revising the Approach to a "Thorough and Efficient" Education