Attendees at a number of New Jersey United community meetings expressed concern regarding state funding cuts, defeated budgets, reliance on property taxes to fund schools, and lack of funding for key programs. Both Abbott and non-Abbott districts shared a number of concerns regarding the sufficiency of resources such as textbooks and adequacy of facilities.

The term Abbott refers to Abbott v. Burke, a court case argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court. The rulings of the court established the rights of children in urban communities to a thorough and efficient education under New Jersey’s state constitution. As a result of this decision, Abbott districts are provided with additional state funding for facilities and supplemental services such as pre-school. There are currently 31 Abbott districts in the state, which represent many urban, rural, and low-income communities in New Jersey.

Helpful Links:

A map of the state’s Abbott Districts with links to district Web sites. http://www.edlawcenter.org/ELCPublic/AbbottvBurke/map/AbbottDistrictsMap.htm

The State’s Web site for New Jersey’s 31 Abbott Districts. http://www.state.nj.us/njded/abbotts/

Information about the State of New Jersey’s District Factor Group (DFG) system that played a significant role in determining the initial group of districts that were classified as Abbott districts. Additionally, subsequent to the Abbott IV court ruling, the DFGs were also used to define the group of school districts on which Abbott v Burke parity remedy aid would be based. http://www.state.nj.us/njded/finance/sf/dfg.shtml

The school finance information page from Education Week. The page contains background on the issue of funding, along with related Education Week articles. http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/issuespage.cfm?id=22

Information on New Jersey ’s State Aid Summaries from the New Jersey Department of Education. http://www.state.nj.us/njded/stateaid/

Information about school facilities and funding from the New Jersey State Department of Education. http://www.state.nj.us/njded/facilities/

The Education Law Center provides a history of the Abbott vs. Burke court decision and its impact on New Jersey education. The Education Law Center advocates on behalf of New Jersey 's public school children for access to an equal and adequate education under state and federal laws. http://www.edlawcenter.org/ELCPublic/AbbottvBurke/AbbottHistory.htm

Information about the Abbott vs. Burke court decision from the Education Law Center. http://www.edlawcenter.org/ELCPublic/AbbottvBurke/AboutAbbott.htm

The State of New Jersey Department of Education provides the actual court decisions from the Abbott vs. Burke lawsuit. http://www.state.nj.us/njded/abbotts/dec/

Information on Abbott regulations, as well as the Abbott district selection criteria and process. http://www.state.nj.us/njded/abbotts/regs/

Biennial Report on cost of providing a thorough and efficient education 2002 report. http://www.state.nj.us/njded/genfo/birep.htm