Case to Fix Funding Formula for Lakewood School District to Proceed

When the state of  NJ allocated over $30 million dollars in funding to the Lakewood school district a few month s ago (before it was removed and than turned into a loan) , officials credited the ongoing lawsuit filed by Mr. Arthur Lang, a Math teacher at Lakewood school district and a Lawyer.
The case is known as Alcantara v. Hespe and has been ongoing for 5 years. Tomorrow July 9, 2019 Judge Susan Scarola of the office of  administrative law will hear the case to conclude the matter with the state's presentation of its case.

In July of  2014 Mr. Arthur Lang filed a petition demonstrating  that the state funding formula for the Lakewood school district is inadequate for it to provide its students with a T&E education.

A Letter written this week to the judge by Professor Tractenberg mentions 2 points.

1. Does the School Funding Reform Act of 2008 (SFRA) provide the Lakewood School District (LSD) with adequate funds to enable it to provide its approximately 6,000 public school students, most of them low-income Latino and Black, with the constitutionally required through and efficient education (T&E)?
2. If it does not, are there constitutionally acceptable ways in which the State can provide
LSD with sufficient supplemental non-SFRA funding?

Conclusion
It has seemed clear from the start of this matter that the only constitutionally responsive and
responsible way to deal with LSD’s unique demographic circumstances, and the attendant fiscal
consequences, is by amending SFRA. The more time that elapses and the more evidence that
accumulates the clearer that reality becomes. It is time for your Honor to recognize that reality
and to forward your recommended decision to the Commissioner without further delay.

I understand that neither you nor the Commissioner have the authority to amend SFRA or to
require the Legislature to do so, but ALJ Steven Lefelt played a seminal role in Abbott by
providing the evidentiary basis for the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of the
state’s school funding laws. You can do the same here. The difference is that, as I have pointed
out above yet again, your task is far simpler than was ALJ Lefelt’ was because the
Commissioner has repeatedly certified that SFRA funding is not sufficient for LSD to provide its
students with T&E and that is all this case is about.
Read full letter HERE