In 1985, the Supreme Court of New Jersey issued Abbot v Burke, which determined that existing methods of school funding, relying on local property taxes, were unconstitutional and deprived underprivileged (read: black) students of their right to an equal education (1/7).
In 2010, the so-called Abbot districts, which benefited from the decision, received $18,850/student, $3100 more than the state average, overwhelmingly paid for by taxpayers located outside of these districts. Local tax intakes actually dropped (1973-2010) in real terms! (2/7)
Needless to say, this judicially-mandated colossal increase in funding for these districts (spending nearly tripled in real terms, from $7000 to $18,850/student in 2010 dollars 1973-2010), paid for by other NJ taxpayers, did not close the achievement gap in the slightest (3/7).
The most egregious example is Asbury Park, which in 2010 spent $23940/student ($34500 in 2024 dollars), without a single SAT taker reaching college readiness. This is because the race gap between whites/Asians and blacks/Hispanics is particularly large in New Jersey (4/7).
Abbot and its consequences are a great showcase of the following:
1) The big "Civil Rights" victories of the 70s/80s were mostly judicially mandated, not legislated, and based on totally false premises (in this case, that school achievement is mostly a function of money). (5/7)
2) Black school districts are not "underfunded". Both in New Jersey and in the country, they have more money than their wealthier and whiter peers, not less, paid for by enormous transfers from wealthier, whiter taxpayers. Chart from @AnechoicMedia_. (6/7)
3) It's yet another impressive demonstration of the fact that, in the 20th/21st century United States, educational outcomes have very little to do with money. We should stop trying to spend our way to intelligence - or do so in a way that might work, like embryo selection. (7/7)
Source: . Written in 2012, and there's some humorous-with-the-benefit-of-hindsight optimism about "education reform" closing the gap where spending did not. The Wikipedia article on Abbot districts is also good.nj.gov/education/stat…
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