Opinion ID: 2301105
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Funding and Educational Quality

Text: In view of the magnitude and scope of the problems concerning preschool funding and educational quality revealed by this record, the Court may be overconfident when it observes that certain of the relief sought in this litigation has been provided by the Commissioner as a result of the administrative process. Ante at 562, 790 A. 2d at 857-58. Only two years ago this Court found to be inadequate, and inconsistent with the Commissioner's representations, the manner in which the Department was implementing this Court's order concerning high-quality preschool. Abbott IV, supra, 163 N.J. at 101, 748 A. 2d 82. Although the Court generously attributed the discrepancies to misunderstandings, id. at 100-01, 748 A. 2d 82, we stated clearly that daycare standards would not satisfy the Abbott preschool mandate: We conclude that the DOE's use of community care providers staffed by uncertified teachers and governed by Department of Human Services (DHS) daycare standards violates the Abbott V requirement to establish quality preschool programs for three- and four-year old children. Our intervention is warranted now to assure that the implementation of preschool in the Abbott districts is faithful to the programs proposed by the Commissioner and accepted by this Court less than two years ago.