Abbott vs. Burke

Brief Timeline for Abbott vs. Burke

• 1981 A lawsuit was filed by the Education Law Center. It claimed that NJ failed to meet it’s obligation of a fair education to students in poor, urban districts which was required in the 1975 Public School Education Act.
• 1985 (Abbott I) The first Abbott ruling occurred which stated that urban students must receive an education equal to students in the wealthiest districts.
• 1990 (Abbott II) After a new finance law, Quality Education Act, was introduced by Gov. Florio passed by , the State Supreme court ordered supplemental programs for urban districts and equalized funding between the richest and poorest districts.
• 1994 (Abbott III) The NJ Supreme Court rules the Quality Education Act is unconstitutional because it does not equalize funding. The Court stated that NJ must comply by 1997.
• 1997 (Abbott IV) The second school-funding law (Comprehensive Education Improvement and Financing Act) was ruled unconstitutional and the court once again ordered equal funding for all districts.
• 1998 (Abbott V) Mandates were put into place for preschool, new school construction as well as rehabilitation of older facilities.
• 2000 (Abbott VI) NJ Supreme Court ruled that the state failed to implement the preschool education as directed.
• 2001 (Abbott VIII) NJ Supreme Court issued the first half of Abbott VIII, which directed timely state decisions of preschool plans and budget.
• 2002 Supreme Court issued the second half of the Abbott VIII, which further clarified the requirements for State implementation of the Abbott V preschool mandates.
• 2007 Gov. Corzine proposed to eliminate the Abbott schools and instead would provide resources for districts with high numbers of disadvantaged students.
• 2008 The School Funding Reform Act was signed into law. This law replaced the Abbott funding formula with a formula that spread the money to all districts with at-risk students no matter where they went to school.
• March, 2008 NJ Supreme Court rules that the Abbott mandate can be terminated. (As of 11/2008 hearings were up to Abbott XIX.)
• March, 2009 A Bergen County Assignment Judge stated that the new law addressed all at-risk students and not just students that lived in the Abbott districts.
• May, 2009 The NJ Supreme Court upheld Gov. Corzine’s new school funding formula and denied the request from the Abbott districts for supplemental funding. This new formula relaced the Abbott court ruling.
• June, 2010 Advocates for poor children are pressing NJ Supreme Court to enforce a new school funding law. This followed Governor Christie's proposed cuts in education aid.