Post by pavel on May 12, 2016 22:17:42 GMT -6
Judge: Intervention not merited in Arkansas school-funding lawsuit
LITTLE ROCK — Issues raised by the Deer-Mount Judea School District in a school-funding lawsuit do not rise to the level of a constitutional violation requiring judicial intervention, a Pulaski County circuit judge said Wednesday in a memorandum opinion.
Judge Chris Piazza issued the opinion a little over two months after presiding over a Feb. 22-26 bench trial in the district's lawsuit, which alleged that the state Legislature has failed to fulfill its constitutional obligation to ensure that public schools are sufficiently funded to provide every student an opportunity for an adequate education.
The district alleged in its suit filed in 2010 that:
• The Legislature had failed to assess in advance of each session the level of funding needed to maintain educational adequacy, as required by Act 57 of the Second Extraordinary Session of 2003.
• Cost-of-living adjustments have been provided to some districts but not all.
• Legislation approved in 2007 negated some of the requirements of Act 57.
• The Legislature has not provided a rational basis for the way it distributes special funding for isolated districts.
• Transportation funding has not been distributed according to need, despite recommendations for changing the distribution formula.
• Students in the district have excessive travel times to and from school.
• There are unfair disparities between teachers' salaries in different parts of the state.
• The Legislature improperly addressed a health-insurance crisis by diverting money from facilities and teachers' professional development.
• School facilities vary in quality from district to district.
• The Legislature decreased funding for teachers' professional development without any rational basis.
Read more: swtimes.com/news/judge-intervention-not-merited-arkansas-school-funding-lawsuit
LITTLE ROCK — Issues raised by the Deer-Mount Judea School District in a school-funding lawsuit do not rise to the level of a constitutional violation requiring judicial intervention, a Pulaski County circuit judge said Wednesday in a memorandum opinion.
Judge Chris Piazza issued the opinion a little over two months after presiding over a Feb. 22-26 bench trial in the district's lawsuit, which alleged that the state Legislature has failed to fulfill its constitutional obligation to ensure that public schools are sufficiently funded to provide every student an opportunity for an adequate education.
The district alleged in its suit filed in 2010 that:
• The Legislature had failed to assess in advance of each session the level of funding needed to maintain educational adequacy, as required by Act 57 of the Second Extraordinary Session of 2003.
• Cost-of-living adjustments have been provided to some districts but not all.
• Legislation approved in 2007 negated some of the requirements of Act 57.
• The Legislature has not provided a rational basis for the way it distributes special funding for isolated districts.
• Transportation funding has not been distributed according to need, despite recommendations for changing the distribution formula.
• Students in the district have excessive travel times to and from school.
• There are unfair disparities between teachers' salaries in different parts of the state.
• The Legislature improperly addressed a health-insurance crisis by diverting money from facilities and teachers' professional development.
• School facilities vary in quality from district to district.
• The Legislature decreased funding for teachers' professional development without any rational basis.
Read more: swtimes.com/news/judge-intervention-not-merited-arkansas-school-funding-lawsuit