State Faces Multiple Suits of Failure to Adequately Fund Schools
David Greenwald, The People's Vanguard of
Davis Given the
state of California's economy and cutbacks to education, perhaps it
is not surprising that several different groups are threatening to
sue. On Thursday a lawsuit was filed in Alameda County by the
California School Boards Association, the Association of California
School Administrators, and the California State PTA. The suit calls
for the courts to get rid of the current financing system and to
direct the governor and Legislature to create one that is sound,
stable and sufficient. They argued it prevents six million
students from receiving the education that they are entitled to
under the state's constitution. The suit contends that the state
has failed to prioritize school funding as the constitution and
Prop 98 requires. California has set some of the highest
standards in the county, but ranks nearly last among all states in
per-pupil funding and in the ratio of students to teachers,
counselors, and nurses. The result is that California
students perform poorly compared with those in other states…