A state appeals court issued a major ruling for New Jersey’s school funding formula and rejected a longstanding challenge by Lakewood parents. In the ruling, the three-judge panel said the real problem in Lakewood isn’t the formula, but how the district manages its money.
Public schools in the area serve fewer than 5,000 students, but the town spends heavily on transportation and special education services for more than 50,000 private school students, mostly from the town’s large Orthodox Jewish community.
The court said those costs and not the state’s formula are draining resources from public classrooms. It pointed to years of low local taxes, fiscal mismanagement and ignored recommendations from the state.
Lawyers for the parents argued the ruling misses the mark, alleging that the funding system can’t support both public and private school needs. They indicated that the parents plan to take the case to the state Supreme Court, adding to the 11-year fight over the issue.
