(TRENTON) – Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen) released the following statement Tuesday after the state Supreme Court denied Gov. Christie’s motion for relief and modification of prior Abbott decisions as it seeks to override school funding and teacher tenure laws governing low-income school districts:
“I’m very pleased to see this ruling. This is a good step for those who support the principle of a quality education for all children in New Jersey.
“I’ve repeatedly made it very clear that the governor’s plan was a non-starter in the Assembly. We have to fix school funding in this state, but the governor’s plan was never a solution. With today’s ruling in hand, it should be clear to everyone – including the governor – that his plan is not going to prevail and should be declared dead. I don’t want to see it proposed in the state budget nor by any other means. The governor should give up this court fight and instead work with the Legislature to devise sensible changes.
“The Assembly will continue to work on school funding concerns, with the hope of finding a truly fair solution for everyone as soon as possible. I look forward to the Assembly Education Committee continuing its hearings – including tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Hackensack – as it gathers more input from the public.”