RUNAWAY LIBERAL COURT: GOV. CHRISTIE MUST SPEND $500 MILLION ON SCHOOLS

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Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday said a state Supreme Court ruling handed down that morning would drive up taxes statewide.

"I don't know when the Supreme Court is going to finally abandon the idea that if we just continue to throw more money at this problem we're going to fix it," Christie told around 400 people at the National Guard armory in Cherry Hill.

Hours before the afternoon town hall, the court ordered New Jersey to spend an additional $500 million on low-income school districts. In South Jersey, the so-called Abbott districts include Camden, Burlington City, Gloucester City and Pemberton Township.






Christie had previously expressed such outrage at the prospect of an unfavorable ruling that some expected him to defy the court. But he told constituents in the muggy armory that he would do as the judiciary ordered.

"You elected me governor, not emperor," Christie said. "So here's the deal: the Supreme Court is the Supreme Court and I have to comply with their order.



"But the deal is this: it's up to the Legislature now," he added. "Now the Legislature is going to have to figure where they find the $500 million."



It did not go unnoticed by the Democratic majority on Tuesday that the governor appeared to be shifting responsibility for complying with the court to State House lawmakers.



"The governor always seems to have a suggestion for how the Legislature should do something. But when it comes to resolving a school funding deficiency problem he is directly responsible for, all of the sudden he has no ideas, no thoughts, no ways whatsoever to resolve the problem," said Christopher Donnelly, spokesman for Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, D-Gloucester.


"Instead, in typical fashion, he lays blame elsewhere and ignores his leadership duties."



There is little to dispute Christie's assertion that billions spent on the state's poorest school districts over the years had not yielded great returns. Camden schools are continually ranked among the lowest performing in the nation.