By Matt Arco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Updated June 01, 2017
Posted June 01, 2017
Gov. Chris Christie once took a hard line when it comes to the way the state funds its public schools: Spend the same amount — $6,599 — per pupil in every district. He promised it would lower property taxes, but opponents say it would decimate urban schools that lean on the state for support.
His proposal, dubbed the “fairness formula,” was considered dead on arrival by the state’s Democratic-controlled Legislature, which is now squabbling over a new plan.
New Jersey funds its public schools through a formula passed in 2008 that determines how much each district needs to spend and considers each community’s ability to raise revenue through property taxes. More state aid goes to poorer districts.
New Jersey spends big on education, but Christie has regularly underfunded this formula for school aid by about $1 billion annually, forcing budget cuts and higher property taxes in some districts.
The school funding problem will pass on to the next governor in January. Here’s what the Republicans and Democrats seeking to succeed Christie would do.
