HILLSBOROUGH -- In a proposal that would drastically overhaul New Jersey's school funding system, Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday outlined a plan which would give every school district the exact same amount of state aid per student.

Christie, in a speech at Hillsborough High School, introduced the "Fairness Formula," which would provide $6,599 per student for each district, a proposal he said would significantly reduce aid to urban districts while lowering property taxes in many suburban towns.

The plan, which Christie is proposing as an amendment to the state constitution, would give 75 percent of school districts an increase in state aid, allowing them to ease the property tax burden on local residents, he said.

But it would also deal a major blow to districts with the highest percentage of students from low-income families, primarily urban districts that Christie criticized for high spending and low graduation rates.

"It is time to change the failed school funding formula and replace it with one that will force the end of these two crises -- the property tax scandal and the disgrace of failed urban education," Christie said.

New Jersey schools are funded through a combination of state, federal and local dollars.

The state currently gives about $9.1 billion in direct support to its school districts using a weighted formula that provides more per-pupil funding for special education students, students from low-income families and those who are learning English as their second language.

Of that $9.1 billion, about $5.1 billion goes to 31 districts, while the other $4 billion goes to the remaining 546 districts, Christie said.

Christie's proposal would dramatcially reallocate that money, giving every district the same per-pupil aid and eliminating the extra funding for certain students, with the exception of money for special education students.

The reallocation will help reduce New Jersey's highest-in-the-nation property taxes while ending the overabundance of funding to urban districts with low graduation rates, Christie said.

"We have two separate, but completely intertwined crises in New Jersey that must be dealt with," Christie said. "They must be dealt with honestly and directly."

The proposal was criticized by Democratic lawmakers, the state's largest teachers union and the Education Law Center, which has waged a series of legal battles with the state over funding for urban districts.

"The Governor's proposal is completely contrary to the long held consensus in New Jersey that funding should be based on the unique needs of students," said David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center. "If this plan were implemented it would devastate our schools by removing an unprecedented level of educational resources."

Impact on schools

The history behind how New Jersey pays for public education is a tortured and litigious one, dating back to 1976, when the state Supreme Court closed down the schools until the Legislature passed an income tax to fund a constitutionally mandated school aid formula.

Analysis by NJ Advance Media shows Christie's proposal to change the latest school funding formula would have a major impact on urban districts.

Camden, for example, currently receives more than $30,000 per pupil in state aid. Under Christie's proposal, the district would see that aid cut by more than 78 percent.

Under the $6,599 per pupil flat aid rate, 37 districts would see their aid cut by more than 50 percent.

Wendell Steinhauer, president of the New Jersey Education Association, called Christie's proposal "despicable."

"Gov. Christie's proposal would result in a huge step backward to the days when poor families in economically challenged communities were left to fend for themselves," Steinhauer said.

John Abeigon president of the Newark Teachers Union, also condemned the proposal.

"Equal across-the-board school funding hasn't worked in the past and won't work in the future, because not all things are equal," he said.

Christie, however, argued that pouring more money into urban schools hasn't worked.

Among the 31 school districts that receive more than half of the state's aid, 27 have graduation rates below the state's 90 percent graduation rate, including Camden (63 percent), Asbury Park (66 percent), New Brunswick (68 percent), Trenton (68 percent) and Newark (69 percent).

Meanwhile, those cities spend a smaller portion of local taxes on schools than most other municipalities, he said.

"That is an unacceptable, immoral waste of the hard-earned money of the people of New Jersey," the governor said.

In reallocating state aid, Christie would create a windfall for many suburban districts. About 45 percent of school districts in the state would see their state aid increase by 100 percent or more, according to NJ Advance Media's analysis, which could lead to significant reductions in property tax bills.

Fair Lawn would see an 815 percent increase in state aid and an average drop of more than $2,200 per household in property taxes, Christie said. Teaneck would get 389 percent more in state aid and an average drop in property taxes of nearly $1,600, he said.

School districts that would receive more funding under Christie's plan would be required to use nearly all of it for property tax relief, Christie said. The governor said he hopes his proposal can take effect in time for the 2018-19 school year.

"This would be the most important thing I've done," Christie said. "That would be the biggest achievement of the administration, no doubt."

Will it pass?

Christie is asking state lawmakers to put his plan before voters on the fall 2017 ballot, an election that will decide the next governor. Residents would have to decide whether to amend the state Constitution to implement Christie's funding system.

Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Union) praised the proposal and said he will sponsor it in the state Legislature.

"Nothing is more fair than treating students equally no matter where they live," Bramnick said.

But the plan was immediately blasted by Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson), who called it "unconstitutional and harmful to our most vulnerable children."

State Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), the chair of the Senate Education Committee, issued a joint statement calling the proposal a direct attack on the core principals of equality.

"This plan is unfair, it is unjust and it is blatantly unconstitutional," the lawmakers said. "It is a maneuver that discriminates against the most vulnerable students and would systematically deny children an equal opportunity to achieve the American Dream."

Christie, however, said he does not think the plan will hurt urban students. Many of those students currently attend districts that are "on autopilot" and need to downsize and make adjustments, he said.

"They get a big check from the state every year, they are not making any changes in the way they educate children and they are not showing any increase in success," Christie said.

Those districts should learn from charter schools in their community with higher academic performance, Christie said.

Christie plans to hold town hall meetings across the state to generate voter support for the proposal, he said.

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Stephen Stirling contributed to this report.

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.