The proposal would put the issue before voters in a gubernatorial election year, in 2017.
TRENTON -- The sweeping overhaul of the school funding formula Gov. Chris Christie announced on Tuesday requires the New Jersey Legislature to let voters adopt it by amending the state constitution in November 2017.
But judging from the immediate reaction from the Democrats who control the Statehouse, the governor should expect a bitter fight.
"This plan is unfair, it is unjust and it is blatantly unconstitutional," according to a statement by state Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and state Sen. Theresa Ruiz (D-Essex), chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee.
The governor announced the "Fairness Formula," a plan that would provide every school district with $6,599 per student and scrap the court-ordered methodology that favors low-income urban school districts.
Christie said the proposal would give three-quarters of all districts an increase in state aid, translating into a huge dose of property tax relief. For a state with the highest property taxes in the nation, the idea is likely to gain interest, especially as he plans to campaign for it in towns across the state.
"It is time to change the failed school funding formulas and replace it with one that will force the end of these two crises -- the property tax scandal and the disgrace of failed urban education," Christie said during his announcement at Hillsborough High School.
Christie wants voters to decide the issue in the heat of a gubernatorial election -- a move that will put pressure on Sweeney and other Democrats likely to run for governor to defend the status quo.
The reaction of Sweeney and Ruiz gave the public a taste of the arguments they will raise to sideline the governor's proposal.
Christie: Give all school districts same aid
"It is a maneuver that discriminates against the most vulnerable students and would systematically deny children an equal opportunity to achieve the American Dream," according to their statement. "Children do not choose their zip codes, and this proposal decimates educational opportunity, resulting in more poverty and increased income inequality."
State Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) challenged the governor to take his town hall road show to municipalities with a sizable number of low-income families or people for whom English is their second language.
"He preaches to a selective audience, and there are always two sides to every argument," Prieto said. "The governor always talks about the people who are leaving the state. I see the people who are living paycheck to paycheck."
The governor "must acknowledge his responsibility by working with legislators to finally fully fund the existing -- and constitutional -- school funding formula," Prieto said.
The history behind how New Jersey pays for public education is a tortured and litigious one, dating back to 1976, when the state Supreme Court closed down the schools until the Legislature passed an income tax to fund a constitutionally mandated school aid formula.
Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Union) emphasized the fairness to tax payers. The average tax bill in New Jersey is $8,300 a year.
"Nothing is more fair than treating students equally no matter where they live," Bramnick said. "This plan will help relieve property taxpayers throughout the state and I will fight to get the governor's plan enacted. I look forward to sponsoring it in the legislature."
Recognizing the funding formula has flaws, Sweeney announced earlier this month he would create a commission to review the "unfair and unbalanced" system that shortchanges some of the fast-growing school districts.
Staff Writer Adam Clark contributed to this report. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.