Christie’s Schools Budget Challenged As ‘Illegal’

A leading advocate for public education claims Gov. Chris Christie's school aid budget for the coming year is illegal and should be rejected.

The Education Law Center says the governor's proposal -- which Christie touts as New Jersey's largest-ever education aid package -- attempts to permanently change how schools are funded without required legislative review, which violates a Supreme Court order.

An analysis by ELC Executive Director David Sciarra concludes Christie is overstepping his bounds on the legislative and judicial branches.

The findings were released Monday. They had been sent to the Assembly and Senate budget committees earlier this month.

ELC sued the administration over education funding last year, and Christie was ordered to return hundreds of millions to the budget for the poorest schools.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)