Christie goes to court over teacher union contract rules

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - The ability to overrule teacher contracts, not more money, is what New Jersey needs to improve its struggling poorer school districts, Republican Gov. Chris Christie's administration argued to the state's highest court Thursday.

The governor wants the Supreme Court to allow the state to override teacher contract rules in 31 mostly urban, poorer districts that the administration says "serve as impediments to a thorough and efficient education."

Christie also wants the high court to freeze the current level of funding to the districts while he attempts to create a new formula that would split the state's education money equally among all districts rather than giving poorer districts more money. An attempt by Christie to cut funding to those schools in 2010 was shot down by the high court.

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