Wednesday, May 25, 2011

ThinkProgress » New Jersey Supreme Court Orders State To Restore $500 Million In Education Funding Stripped By Gov. Christie

ThinkProgress » New Jersey Supreme Court Orders State To Restore $500 Million In Education Funding Stripped By Gov. Christie

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Great news from New Jersey!

NJ Supreme Court Orders State To Restore $500 Million In Education Funding Stripped By Gov. Christie
thinkprogress.org
Yesterday, however, the justices reminded Christie that he is not allowed to thumb his nose at the state constitution, and it ordered the state to restore $500 million that had been stripped from the state’s most needy districts. As the court’s official summary of the opinion explains...

"Yesterday’s decision opens a hopeful new chapter for children in struggling school districts. At least 19 state supreme courts have held that their states’ substandard public schools for low-income students violates the state constitution, but these decisions often fall into a predictable pattern. The court orders the state to fix its substandard school districts, the state delays for 20 years or more, and eventually, the state supreme court loses its will and backs down.

Christie clearly hoped that the New Jersey supremes would follow this all-too-common pattern and back away from New Jersey’s constitutional guarantee that an excellent education is every child’s birthright. But when Christie tried to stare the court down, the justices refused to blink.

Yesterday was not a total victory for New Jersey’s school children — the court restored funding to many of the state’s poorest districts, but it declined to restore cuts that benefit struggling students in wealthier districts. Nevertheless, it is a clear rebuke to Chris Christie, and a reminder that conservative governors flout their states’ constitution." Full Article Here | ThinkProgress

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