An appellate court on Monday ruled that Lakewood public schools don’t receive adequate state funding to give students a “thorough” and “efficient” education. The decision reverses a 2021 finding by the state education commissioner and orders the education department to find a way to improve the district’s funding.
Lakewood is a fast-growing community with a large Orthodox Jewish population. According to the court ruling, 84% of the town’s school-aged kids are enrolled in private religious schools. The court said the district is “severely strained” by obligations to provide transportation and special education for those thousands of nonpublic school students.
Monday’s decision revives a nearly decade-old case brought by Lakewood public school parents, claiming the 2008 School Funding Reform Act was unconstitutional when applied to Lakewood because it didn’t take into account those outside costs.
