NJ Education Report

Former Governor Thomas Kean has a new gig: co-chairing a new education reform organization in New Jersey called JerseyCAN. Today’s NJ Spotlight has an interview. Here’s Gov. Kean’s thoughts on the Abbott funding debate, which directs compensatory state aid to 31 poor NJ school districts:

Q: This is a highly-charged debate. Are you saying we are spending too much money in these districts now?

A: We are spending too much without results, without question. To justify spending that kind of money and have test scores where they are is inexcusable.

Q: The New Jersey Supreme Court has heard this debate in the Abbott v. Burke litigation. Are they wrong?

A: The court has been more of a problem than a solution, until recently. The last court decision is really the first one that said we would take into account the science of education reform and what we have learned. Before that, it was all about money and that didn’t work. We are still spending more on those kids than anywhere else in the country, and there’s no excuse for not doing better.

We need to be very open to what works and not look at what some special interest likes or not. If it works and helps kids with special needs and those born in poverty, we ought to be looking at it hard. With the money we have, we should be able to do it. It’s inexcusable to say the status quo is good.