High Court in N.J. Ends Funding Suit

By Caroline Hendrie

New Jersey's highest court last week upheld Gov. Christine Todd Whitman's plan for reforming and refurbishing the state's urban school systems, a landmark ruling that many hoped would amount to a peace treaty in the state's nearly 30-year war over school funding.

In a unanimous decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court largely endorsed the governor's plan for meeting the cities' instructional and facilities needs through implementation of "whole-school reform," expanded preschool programs, and a sweeping plan for school construction.

The justices also affirmed earlier rulings that ordered the state to assure that the 28 urban districts involved in the court case spend as much per pupil as...