Bill > ACR16

This Concurrent Resolution proposes an amendment to the New Jersey Constitution that clarifies the Legislature's role in providing for a "thorough and efficient system of free public schools," a constitutional mandate for public education. The amendment would specify that the Legislature fulfills this duty by passing laws that define what constitutes such a system and how it will be funded. Importantly, the proposed change explicitly states that these laws can determine the amount of state and local funding, how that money is spent, and how it's distributed, without setting any minimum or maximum funding levels for the state or limiting the Legislature's overall authority to regulate school funding. If approved by the Legislature, this amendment would then be put to a public vote in the next general election.