News
All ELC news stories are archived here in reverse chronological order. They are also categorized by state in the menu on the left, with New Jersey further broken out into separate subject areas.
ABBOTT CITIES AGAIN REQUIRED TO PAY MORE FOR SCHOOLS
Published on: July 27, 2007
For the second straight year, the State Budget requires urban or "Abbott" municipalities to maintain a fixed level of local property tax revenue for their schools, and mandates those cities below that level to pay more for public education.
ELC FILES SUIT TO COMPEL STATE TO EVALUATE ABBOTT AND SET PROGRESS BENCHMARKS
Published on: July 10, 2007
Education Law Center has filed suit seeking to compel the State Education Department to fulfill a longstanding Supreme Court mandate to evaluate the Abbott reforms and set progress benchmarks for Abbott districts.
NJ LEGISLATURE PASSES SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION REFORM, BUT WITHOUT FUNDING
Published on: June 27, 2007
Just before recessing for the summer, State lawmakers approved legislation to reform the school construction program, but failed to provide the additional funding needed to restart numerous school construction projects in urban and other communities.
FIVE NEW JERSEY ORGANIZATIONS AWARDED GRANT FOR COMMUNITY EDUCATION ORGANIZING CAMPAIGN
Published on: June 7, 2007
Communities for Public Education Reform, a national coalition of educational organizations, recently awarded a grant of $2.3 million to organizations across the US that want to increase parental involvement in public school reform efforts.
STUDY DOCUMENTS FUNDING GAP FOR STUDENTS ATTENDING ABBOTT CHARTER SCHOOLS
Published on: May 24, 2007
Students in charter schools in New Jersey’s urban or "Abbott" districts receive 32% less to fund the basic or "foundational" education program than their fellow students in district schools, according to a report authored by Montclair University Professor Katrina E. Bulkley.
HIGH COURT EXPECTS LAWMAKERS TO ADDRESS FACILITIES FUNDING IN FY08 STATE BUDGET
Published on: May 24, 2007
In an Order issued today , the NJ Supreme Court denied a motion by urban school children asking the Court to direct the Legislature to authorize more school construction funding by June 30th.
COST OF ABBOTT AUDITS SOAR
Published on: May 10, 2007
The NJ Department of Education will pay KPMG $10.7 million for audits of the Abbott districts, which is $7.45 million more than the amount the DOE reported it would pay the New York-based accounting firm last October.
ABBOTT PRE-K IS NOT AN UNREGULATED PRIVATE SCHOOL "VOUCHER" PROGRAM
Published on: May 9, 2007
Research continues to confirm that New Jersey’s investment in the pre-kindergarten program ordered in the landmark Abbott v. Burke case yields significant educational value.