In an effort to bridge the fiscal gap in the Lakewood School District, Board of Education officials are exploring as many options as possible, Board of Education President Isaac Zlatkin tells TLS. One of those options, is by reviving a 1997 lawsuit which could land Lakewood with some additional funds.
In December 1997, twenty rural and property-poor school districts, including Lakewood (the Bacon Districts)–as distinguished from the poor urban Abbott school districts–filed a Court complaint against the Department of Education, the Commissioner of Education, and several state officials, seeking a ruling that the State’s school funding law was unconstitutional because it resulted in inadequate funding based upon their poverty levels. The districts won a series of rulings by the courts and the State Board of Education and the case was a driving force for the state’s current School Funding Reform Act (SFRA).
That law was enacted under former Gov. Jon Corzine as a way to get more funding to districts with high levels of poverty but not falling under Abbott vs. Burke.
“Unfortunately, Lakewood and the other Bacon districts did not get anything for their win and protracted litigation,” Says Zlatkin. “Therefore, the Education Law Center, one of the parties in the case, is now seeking to revive the case in light of the fact that the State has not complied with any of the mandates that resulted from the case.”
The Education Law Center is holding a meeting on July 15 with the original Bacon districts to explore the options.
“The superintendent Ms. Winters, board attorney Mr. Zitomer and I will be attending a meeting and will report back to the Board with our options,” Zlatkin says. [TLS]
Good Morning America!
What happened the past 17 years???
But will the funding go towards the public schools, where it is sorely needed?
What’s numbers are we talking about?
How can you take this away from that teacher who just filed this same suit? My understanding is that you have seven years of his papers in your possession and that he revived the Bacon suit with his contacts at the ELC. This is wrong
What?
Rabbi Lang has been writing on state funding on TLS for years and finally when he gets his chance to sue the state, you steal his lawsuit?
I agree with #4 This is disgusting to take away someones years of hard work who did it practically for free for the sake of Lakewood(L’shem Shomayim).
for those who dont know, His name is Aron Lang. God bless you!!!
I agree #4.
SHAME, SHAME, SHAME
The funding under this law should go towards yhe schools programs not the transportation costs incurred transporting private school students.
This approach is disgusting and a total abuse of the law.
the above has nothing to do with Mr. Langs lawsuit, the Bacon case has been tried in court already..the ELC is getting 20 districts together..they are not using his Papers….these are two separate cases..
In the Know does not know. We lost in Bacon.
On May 31, 2012, Mr. Lang wrote a primer for future action to undo the damage of the Bacon case entitled: Lakewood and Municipal Overburden.
This is found on the Scoop at: https://thelakewoodscoop.com/2012/05/lakewood-and-municipal-overburden.html
Look at the petition Mr. Lang wrote, posted on TLS. Every paragraph goes hand in hand with his article that he posted two years ago.
I recall Mr. Lang exlaning to faculty members that Lakewood did poorly in Bacon and that he was in contact with the attorneys in the Bacon case to hopefully restart the case. If he decided to file a separate case, it was the right decision. The BOE should back him up rather than go behind his back like this.
Why is everyone so shocked? Has this Board ever been loyal to anyone?
Do lose heart Arthur. We are all behind you–the kids, the teachers and your friends. They will not get away with this. The truth will come out.
Who cares who filed the lawsuit or who gets credit for it? All that matters is that the kids get the funding they deserve.
The first paragraph of this article sounds a bit misleading. The discussion about reopening the Bacon case is not something that is being spearheaded by Lakewood. Lakewood’s Superintendent Laura Winters as well as other district’s Superintendents were simply invited by the ELC to a meeting which is taking place next Tuesday July 15th, Since these districts were a party in the initial lawsuit. As far as Mr Lang’s lawsuit, I sincerely believe that we need to rally behind him and support it.
Thank You!
Joel Schwartz
Lakewood BOE Member
The views expressed in this comment are of the individual and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Lakewood BOE Administration.