New Jersey's public schools are often cited for academic
achievement, outperforming most other states on the National
Assessment of Educational Progress and ranking among top nations
on international benchmarks. The Garden State has another
distinction: it is one of the few states with an equitable
school finance formula that, when fully funded, provides all
schools sufficient resources to deliver rigorous academic
standards while targeting more funding to high poverty districts
and schools. This "real reform" is the product of years of
advocacy by parents and concerned citizens, as well as continued
prodding by a State Supreme Court determined to uphold the
education rights of the state's 1.3 million students. But fair
school funding is not on Gov. Chris Christie's so-called
education "reform" agenda. Instead, cutting state spending is.
Since taking office, Christie has been working hard to bring
fair school funding in New Jersey to an end. Every chance he
gets, the governor heaps criticism on the state's mo