The New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division affirmed a previous judge's decision that additional funding is not necessary for the rural districts
Fifteen school districts found in rural parts of New Jersey -- known as Bacon districts -- lost their appeal Friday for more state funding.
The New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division affirmed a previous judge's decision that, despite the School Funding Reform Act of 2008 (SFRA), additional funding is not necessary for the rural districts to give students an education equal to its urban and more affluent counterparts.
According to the Education Law Center, school aid was cut in 2011 and remained stagnant ever since -- leaving Bacon districts underfunded by approximately $18 million and depriving an estimated 2,000 children of high-quality preschools.
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The lawsuit, which was originally filed Sept. 15, 2014, in Mercer County Superior Court, names the New Jersey Department of Education as the defendant.
The districts represented in the lawsuit are Commercial Township, Hammonton, Little Egg Harbor Township, Maurice River Township, Ocean Township, Quinton Township, Upper Deerfield Township, Wallington, Buena Regional, Clayton, Egg Harbor City, Lakehurt, Lakewood, Lawrence Township and Woodbine school districts.
The original trial judge ruled on Dec. 15, 2014, that "district-specific needs assessments which they sought to enforce did not require the (Department of Education) to fully fund the districts under the SFRA or otherwise provide for specific relief and, therefore, there were no orders capable of being enforced under the rule," according to Friday's decision.
The Bacon districts' argument for more funding references a 2009 needs assessment done for all of the districts -- pointing out specific ways that the individual districts could improve education for its students.
The assessment found that the districts -- varying in need -- were to find help through either SFRA funding, regionalization or a better utilization of existing funds.
The appellate division decided that the assessments did not call for additional funding.
"Significantly, none of the needs assessments concluded that fully funding the SFRA is necessary to ensure that students in Bacon districts receive a thorough and efficient education," Friday's decision states. "The needs assessments do not require the (Department of Education) or the Legislature to fully fund the districts under SFRA, or institute specific pre=school programs or building projects in the district."
Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.Clik here to view.
