BACON V. NJ DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Bacon v. NJ Dept. of Education School funding case involving 16 poor,

rural districts, mostly located in southern Jersey

Since 1997, districts have demanded adequate resources to meet the needs of their students

In 2008, the Appellate Court affirmed a State Board determination that the Bacon districts were unable to provide a thorough and efficient education for their students under the current formula (CEIFA)

Bacon v. NJ Dept. of Education (II)

That same year, the new school funding formula, SFRA, was introduced.

NJDOE determined that the new school aid formula would provide the Bacon districts with the resources they required

SFRA would also entitle these districts to a high-quality preschool program for all 3’s and 4’s

Bacon v. NJ Dept. of Education (III)

The Bacon districts have not received the required funding under SFRA since 2010, and the massive cut in 2011mostly wiped out the initial increases

Preschool Expansion was never implemented

In September 2014, the Bacon plaintiffs filed an enforcement complaint demanding funding in accordance with SFRA and the implementation of preschool

Bacon Districts

District Demographics K-12 enrollment: 19,278 FRL Rate: 59.4% Race: 13% Black, 36% Hispanic, 48%

White Limited English: 8%

State Aid since SFRA

Percent of State Aid Funded (with growth caps applied)

Percent of State Aid Funded, FY15 (with growth caps applied)

Percent of Uncapped State Aid Funded, i.e. fully implemented SFRA

Data not available

Percent of Uncapped State Aid Funded, FY15

These districts receive adjustment aid to make up for low local levy, so uncapped aid < actual state aid

FY15 Funding Levels

Preschool Enrollment

2,291 additional full-day seats needed