Conservative politicians are lashing out at courts that order equal funding for education

8/12/2019 Conservative politicians are lashing out at courts that order equal funding for education

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1 Center for American Progress | Conservative politicians are lashing out at courts that order equal funding for education

Conservative politicians are

lashing out at courts that orderequal funding for educationMarch 27, 2014 By Billy Corriher

Conserva ive governors and legisla ors across America are angry a he hird branch o

governmen . Some o hese lawmakers are pushing legisla ion ha could hrow judges offhe bench, while o hers are pushing o limi judicial au hori y. In one s a e, a governor uni-

la erally removed a jus ice o he s a e supreme cour . Ano her Republican governor haspublicly vowed o de y a ruling in a pending case i he does no like he ou come. Many o

hese proposals viola e he separa ion o powers principles in heir respec ive s a e cons i-u ions.1 Bu some o hese poli icians wan o amend heir s a e cons i u ions o give he

execu ive and legisla ive branches exclusive con rol over judicial appoin men s.2

Tis conserva ive backlash is a response o cour rulings ha require he legisla ures ospend more money on educa ion or o dis ribu e hose unds more equally. Tese pro-

posals send a message a warning o judges ha legisla ors have he means o punishcour s ha rule agains he s a e.

Tese hrea s o judicial independence emerged in Kansas, or example, jus be ore hes a e supreme cour ruled in avor o poor school dis ric s seeking o res ore hundreds omillions o dollars in unding ha legisla ors had recen ly elimina ed. On March 7, 2014,

he cour ruled he educa ionunding sys em uncons i u ional and gave he legisla ureun il July o x he deciencies.3

Republicans had warned he jus ices no o order a specic increase in unding. Gov.Sam Brownback (R) and Sena e Presiden Susan Wagle (R) recen ly said ha such aruling could push lawmakers oward rying a cons i u ional amendmen o change he way jus ices are selec ed, according oTe Wichi a Eagle.4 Tese poli icians brazenlyissued explici hrea s o he independence o he Kansas Supreme Cour .5


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Tis backlash comes as more cour s are aking a s and o en orce cons i u ionalprovisions requiring s a es o provide an adequa e educa ion or all s uden s, no jus

hose in dis ric s wi h more valuable proper y and more proper y ax revenue.6 Teincreasing ocus on measurable resul s in he orm o s uden es ing in educa-

ion has changed he na ure o he judiciarys role in educa ion unding. Te s a eshave promulga ed con en s andards, assessmen sys ems heyve promulga ed lo s

o accoun abili y, said David Sciarra o he Educa ion Law Cen er. Bu wha hes a es haven done is de ermine he cos o delivering s andards-based educa ion oall kids.7 Wi h measurable goals and es ing da a, cour s can more easily de ermine whe her a school sys em is achieving i s goal o educa ing s uden s. William Koskio he You h and Educa ion Law Projec said he cour s are playing a proper role inno es ablishing wha kids should know and be able o do, bu holding he legisla ureaccoun able o wha i says kids should do.8

Tese cases ofen s em rom li iga ion ha began decades ago. In some s a es he respec-ive high cour s had recen ly deemed he educa ionunding sys ems cons i u ional. Bu

when he 20072009 recession led o alling ax revenues, many legisla ors responded by cuting money or educa ion. Tese cu s led he New Jersey and Kansas high cour s

o res ore judicial oversigh o school nancing.9

Tese s a e supreme cour s are he only ins i u ions s anding in he way o conserva ivelegisla ors aus eri y agenda or educa ion. Bu i hese legisla ors ge heir way, s a esupreme cour s will no serve his role. Educa ion would be lef o he whims o legisla-

ors who migh no care abou s uden s in dis ric s wi h ewer resources. I advoca es or beter educa ion wan cour s o order legisla ors o x broken schools, hey mus ac opro ec judicial independence and ensure ha cour s can en orce cons i u ional man-

da es wi hou ear o re alia ion.

Tese lawsui s o en orce cons i u ional educa ion manda es have helped o equalize heunding or schools wi h s uden s who are ofen rom groups ha his orically aced dis-

crimina ion in educa ion. For example, a group o Alaskan school dis ric s and s uden ssued he s a e in 2004, alleging ha he legisla ure had ailed o sa is y i s cons i u ionalobliga ion o provide an adequa e educa ion.10 Te plain iffs were rural dis ric s, mos o whose s uden s were Na ive Alaskan.11 Te plain iffs emphasized he achievemen gaps

ha sugges ed Na ive Alaskan s uden s and poorer children were no mee ing he s a eseduca ional goals. In he 2004-05 school year, only 43 percen o Na ive Alaskan 10 hgraders were procien in reading, compared o 82 percen o whi e s uden s.12 Given

he impor ance o early childhood educa ion o u ure success, an un air educa ionalsys em is a barrier o social mobili y.


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While he s a e o Alaska had ormally abolished i s separa e school sys em or Na ive Alaskan s uden s, he achievemen gap sugges ed ha no much had changed. Oneo he plain iff dis ric s, Bering S rai School Dis ric , had a s uden body composeden irely o Na ive Alaskan children, 80 percen o whom were limi ed English pro-cien .13 Fewer han hal o he dis ric s s uden s were procien in language ar s, andonly 37 percen were procien in ma h.14 One superin enden old he cour , I would

ake abou 69 years or all children in he dis ric o be procien a i s curren ra e oimprovemen .15 Te plain iffs warned ha even i dis ric s are able o main ain he cur-ren ra e o improvemen , genera ions o children will be los .16

Al hough he rial cour conceded ha more unding alone was no he solu ion, iconcluded ha he S a e has ailed o ake meaning ul ac ion o maximize he likeli-hood ha children a hese roubled schools are accorded an adequa e oppor uni y oacquire prociency when a school has demons ra ed an unwillingness or inabili y

o correc his si ua ion.17 Te cour no ed he local dis ric s responsibili ies orunding and curricula decisions.18

Te cour s ayed i s decision or a year, and he plain iffs setled he case afer he s a epromised $18 million or he 40 schools wi h he lowes es scores.19 Te Educa ion LawCen er says he setlemen includes millions or wo-year kindergar en and pre-li eracyprograms, remedial ins ruc ion or s ruggling high school s uden s, and o her re orms.20

Alaskas rural dis ric s also bene ed rom a 2011 lawsui setlemen ha en ailed $146million in unding or rural school acili ies.21 Te setlemen came afer a rial cour

ound ha he educa ionunding sys em discrimina ed agains Na ive Alaskan s uden sand viola ed he Civil Righ s Ac and he s a e cons i u ions manda e or a school sys-

em open o all children o he s a e.22

Every s a e cons i u ion in America requires each respec ive s a e o provide an educa-ion or school-age children.23 Many o he educa ion clauses require s a es o offer a

horough and efficien or ree sys em o educa ion.24 Te Arkansas Cons i u ion, orexample, says he s a e shall main ain a general, sui able, and efficien sys em o reepublic schools and shall adop all sui able means o secure o he people he advan agesand oppor uni ies o educa ion.25 Te Florida and Washing on s a e Cons i u ionsimpose a paramoun du y o make adequa e provision or he educa ion o allchildren.26 Al hough Mon ana is unique in explici ly guaran eeing equali y o educa-

ion oppor uni y, many educa ion clauses require a uni orm sys em or speci y hahe s a e is responsible or s uden s hroughou he s a e.27 Te s uden s who sue o

en orce hese cons i u ional obliga ions will have a hard ime succeeding i he cour sare suscep ible o pressure rom he execu ive and legisla ive branches.


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Kansas: Showdown over Dodge City schools

Te people o Kansas ra ied a cons i u ional amendmen in 1966 ha s a es, Te leg-isla ure shall provide or public schools, educa ional ins i u ions and rela ed ac ivi-

ies.28 Sui s were la er led agains he s a e on behal o s uden s, alleging ha he s a e was no sa is ying i s obliga ion. In January 2005, he Kansas Supreme Cour ruled he

s a es educa ion nancing sys em uncons i u ional and ordered he legisla ure o x i .29

Te legisla ure promp ly responded wi h a bill o x he problem, bu he cour ruledha he bill ac ually made i worse.30 Te cour said ha some provisions o he bill had

he po en ial o exacerba e inequi y in dis ric unding.31 Te bill allowed all dis ric so raise more revenue hrough local proper y axes, bu he weal hier dis ric s will

be able o genera e more unds.32 Te legisla ion even allowed dis ric s wi h higherhousing prices o pass a supplemen al local ax o und increased eacher salaries, even

hough i is he dis ric s wi h high-pover y, high a -risk s uden popula ions ha needaddi ional help in atrac ing and re aining good eachers.33

Te cour said hese provisions have he po en ial o be ex remely disequalizing because hey have been designed o bene a very small number o school dis-

ric s.34 Te jus ices ordered increased unding or schools wi h more a -risk s uden sin he nex school year.35

In July 2006, he Kansas Supreme Cour deemed cons i u ional a bill ha respondedo he 2005 rulings by increasing he budge or educa ion by $755.6 million. Te

cour no ed ha he bill ma erially and undamen ally changed he way K-12 isunded.36 One- hird o he new unding was direc ed a educa ing a -risk s uden s.37

Funding or special educa ion and bilingual educa ion was increased signican ly.38

Te cour said ha he legisla ure responded o our concerns abou weal h-baseddispari ies and dismissed he case.39

Bu he economy soon ell in o a recession, and ax revenues plumme ed.40 Gov.Brownback was elec ed in 2010 on a pla orm o less governmen spending and dras i-cally lower income axes.41 Te legisla ure ailed o deliver he promised increases inschool unding, bu i passed Brownbacks income ax cu .42

Several poorer school dis ric s led ano her lawsui , alleging ha rom 2009 o 2012, hes a e had cu more han hal a billion dollars in educa ion unding.43 Tis included cu s

o special educa ion, school lunches, and unds mean o help proper y-poor dis ric s.44 Te larges dis ric , Wichi a, los $50 million.45 Da a rom he U.S. Depar men oEduca ion shows ha , in he 2009-10 school year, he highes -spending dis ric spenaround $9,000 more per s uden han he lowes -spending dis ric , adjus ed or differ-ences in cos o living.46


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Te dis ric s ha sued had suffered he mos rom he budge cu s, and hey also hap-pen o have a much higher percen age o non-whi e s uden s han he s a e as a whole.Dodge Ci y, or example, is 80 percen Hispanic, and more han hal o i s s uden s areEnglish-language learners.47 Kansas Ci y is 40 percen Hispanic and 38 percen A rican American, which he plain iffs described as almos a mirror opposi e o he res o heS a es demographics.48

Te s a e appealed o he Kansas Supreme Cour , arguing ha he rial cour hadusurped legisla ive au hori y. Te s a e said he rial cour was:

in effec reordering legisla ive (and guberna orial) spending priori ies, effec ively requir-ing he Legisla ure o make cu s in o her areas o s a e governmen or o raise axes inorder o increase unding or schools.49

In heir pe i ion o he cour , he school dis ric s said he unding cu s caused hemo re employees, reduce eacher salaries, and make cu s o necessary programs.50

Al hough Kansas had made progress reducing he achievemen gap be ween groups os uden s, he dis ric s warned ha he recen cu s jeopardized his progress. In DodgeCi y schools, more han one- hird o A rican American s uden s did no mee he s a esgoal or ma h in he 2010-11 school year.51 Tree quar ers o all Wichi a s uden s sa is-ed he s a es reading goals, bu only around wo- hirds o poor s uden s and English-language learners achieved he goals.52 Only 56.6 percen o black s uden s in Wichi asa ised he s a es goals or ma h.53

FIGURE 1

Kansas students struggle to meet goals in wake of funding cutsMore money does not guarantee better outcomes, but struggling schools need resources

Hutchinson school districtWichita school district State of Kansas

Percentage of fourth graders meeting math goals Percentage of fourth graders meeting reading goalsState education funding per pupil

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

25%

20%

30%

35%

40%

45%

$2,000

$0

$4,000

$6,000

$8,000

$10,000

Sources: Kansas Policy Institute, "District Revenue Per-Pupil by Source," available at http://www.kansasopengov.org/SchoolDistricts/RevenuePerPupil/RevenuePerPupilByDistrict/tabid/1491/Default.aspx (lastaccessed March 2014); Kansas Policy Institute, Math Achievement Labels by District, available at http://www.kansasopengov.org/SchoolDistricts/StudentAchievement/MathAchievementGrid/tabid/2100/ Default.aspx (last accessed March 2014); Kansas Policy Institute, Reading Achievement Labels by District, available at http://www.kansasopengov.org/SchoolDistricts/StudentAchievement/ ReadingAchievementbyDistrict/tabid/2095/Default.aspx.


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While he case was pending be ore he Kansas Supreme Cour , Brownback and someRepublican legisla ors vowed o de y any ruling ha ordered a specic increase in und-ing.54 In his 2014 S a e o he S a e address, Brownback old he jus ices in atendance

ha he [s a e] Cons i u ion empowers he Legisla ure he peoples represen a-ives o und our schools.55 Brownback recen ly warned ha an order or a specicunding increase could lead lawmakers o consider a cons i u ional amendmen o

change he way ha high cour jus ices are appoin ed.56

Brownback may be alluding o a plan similar o a 2012 bill ha removed he meriselec ion commission rom he appoin men process or he Kansas Cour o Appeals.57 Unlike he process or appoin ing high cour jus ices, he appoin men o appeals cour judges is governed by s a u e, no he s a e cons i u ion.58 Tis bill removed an inde-penden commission ha assessed judicial candida es based on heir qualica ions andins ead gave Kansas poli icians sole con rol over nomina ions o he appella e cour .59 Te Republican-con rolled s a e sena e in 2013 approved a cons i u ional amendmen oamend he s a e cons i u ion and remove he cour s power o rule on school nancing.60

Despi e all o his pressure rom conserva ive poli icians, he cour on March 7, 2014,ruled ha he educa ionunding sys em viola ed he s a e cons i u ion.61 Te cour gave

he legisla ure un il July 1 o x he problems. School dis ric s mus have reasonablyequal access o subs an ially similar educa ional oppor uni y, he cour decreed.62 Tecour ound ha wi hholding equaliza ion unding or capi al projec s ailed his esand crea es or perhaps re urns he quali ying dis ric s o an unreasonable, weal h- based inequi y.63 Te cour asked he rial cour o de ermine whe her he educa ion budge , as a whole, viola es he s a e cons i u ion.

Te high cour rejec ed he s a es argumen ha i s ruling in ringed legisla ive au hori y:

Our Kansas Cons i u ion clearly leaves o he legisla ure he myriad o choices avail-able o per orm i s cons i u ional du y; bu when he ques ion becomes whe her helegisla ure has ac ually per ormed i s du y, ha mos basic ques ion is le o he cour s

o answer under our sys em o checks and balances.64

Jus days be ore he ruling, he s a e sena e passed a bill ha would und s a e cour s andres ore $2 million in recen cu s, al hough he unds come wi h s rings atached. Te billalso reduces he s a e supreme cour s au hori y over budge ing and appoin ing lowercour judges.65 Legisla ors included a non-severabili y clause in he cour s budge , which means ha i he cour rules any o he provisions uncons i u ional, hen heen ire bill including he $2 million in cour unding would be s ruck down.66


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Washington state: Judges drawing straws to stay on the bench

In 2011, he Democra ic governor o Washing on s a e signed a budge ha elimina ed$1.8 billion in educa ion unding.67 Salaries were slashed. Schools were orced o cu

heir budge s or s uden ranspor a ion. One superin enden said ha , afer a schoolcu bus ranspor a ion or s uden s living wi hin a mile, an elemen ary-age s uden

who o herwise would have been ranspor ed by bus, walked o school across a highwayand was s ruck by a car.68

Tese cu s came on op o an already under unded sys em. A s udy o he 200607 school year educa ion budge ound ha , due o insufficien unding or ex books, Only vepercen o K-5 s uden s could ob ain an up- o-da e ma h curriculum rom he S a e.69

A lawsui was led alleging ha he 2011 budge viola ed he s a e cons i u ion, whichs a es ha I is he paramoun du y o he s a e o make ample provision or he educa-

ion o all children residing wi hin i s borders.70 Te Washing on Supreme Cour in

1978 in erpre ed his manda e o mean ha school dis ric s could no be orced o relyon emporary local axes, ins ead o s a e unding, o pay or basic educa ion cos s.71 Funding schools by local axes means ha proper y-poor dis ric s have ewer resources.Te cour largely lef i o he legisla ure o selec he means o discharging i s cons i u-

ional du y o und educa ion.72

By he ime he lawsui over he 2011 budge reached he s a e supreme cour , however,he jus ices appeared ired o wai ing or legisla ors o live up o heir cons i u ional

responsibili ies. Wha we have learned rom experience is ha his cour canno s andon he sidelines and hope he S a e mee s i s cons i u ional manda e o amply und

educa ion, he cour said.73

Tis cour canno idly s and by as he legisla ure makesun ullled promises or re orm.74

Decades afer he cour rs ruled he educa ionunding sys em uncons i u ional, heexecu ive and legisla ive branches had s ill no remedied he deciencies. I he S a es

unding ormulas provide only a por ion o wha i ac ually cos s a school o pay i seachers, ge kids o school, and keep he ligh s on, hen he legisla ure canno main ainha i is ully unding basic educa ion.75 In he 2010-11 school year, he highes -spend-

ing dis ric in Washing on spen almos $16,000 more per s uden han he lowes -spending dis ric a wider dispari y han in more han 40 o her s a es.76 Te courno ed a promising re orm ini ia ive in progress, bu i main ained jurisdic ion over hecase o moni or i s implemen a ion.77

Conserva ive legisla ors responded in 2013 by in roducing a bill ha would shrink hecour rom nine jus ices o ve jus ices and require he jus ices o draw s raws o keep

heir sea s on he bench.78 Te bill s a es ha he posi ions o he our judges draw-ing he shor es s raws shall be ermina ed.79 S a e Sen. Michael Baumgar ner (R), a


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cri ic o he cour s educa ion cases, in roduced his bill and ano her bill in 2014 o elim-ina e wo posi ions on he cour hrough atri ion as he jus ices re ire.80 Baumgar nersaid he bills were a punch-back o he supreme cour overreaching i s cons i u ionalrole on wri ing he budge .81 He described he bills as saving he s a e money, which would be used o comply wi h he educa ion manda e.82 Nei her bill has received a vo e.

Te 2014 bill came jus afer he cour issued a rebuke o he legisla ure o speed upi s implemen a ion o he 2012 order or more unds. In an order issued on January 9,2014, he cour no ed meaning ul s eps by he legisla ure bu said i canno realis i-cally claim o have made signican progress in ullling i s cons i u ional responsibil-i y.83 Te cour aul ed he legisla ure or inadequa e eacher salaries and insufficien

unding or supplies and capi al improvemen s.84

On February 14, 2014, Baumgar ner in roduced ye ano her bill arge ing he s a esupreme cour . Tis bill would require he cour o increase he number o decisionsi issues by 50 percen .85 One Washing on s a e news ou le , Crosscu , said he bill

reads like a i - or- a measure and no ed ha i includes language ha appeared in hecour s 2014 order.86 Te bill orders he cour o draw upon i s purpor ed budge aryexper ise and provide a ime able or implemen ing a plan o increase produc ivi y by April 30, 2014, he same deadline he cour imposed or a progress upda e on educa ion

unding.87

S a e Sen. Chris ine Rol es (D) cri icized Baumgar ners proposals or no movingany hing orward.88 Rol es said she is worried abou more sub le pushback, in he

orm o he s a e sena e dragging i s ee .89 Te s a e legisla ure recen ly adjournedor his session wi hou agreeing on a bill o x Washing ons schools.90 Rol es said she

worries ha he Republican majori y in he Sena e is rying o provoke a cons i u-ional crisis by de ying he cour .91

New Jersey : Gov. Christie looks to pack activist court with his judges

Te New Jersey Cons i u ion requires he s a e governmen o offer a horough andefficien educa ion or all o he s a es school-age children.92 Te New Jersey SupremeCour ruled in 1973 ha his obliga ion was no sa ised by a school- unding sys em

ha relied primarily on local proper y ax revenue.93 As in Washing on and Kansas,he cour ound ha his sys em discrimina ed agains s uden s in urban dis ric s wi hewer resources.94 Te cour and he legisla ure wen back and or h or decades, wi hhe cour even ually ordering more unding rom he s a e or he poorer dis ric s.95

Conserva ive poli icians cri icized he cour or ac ivism, bu by 2009, he legisla urehad passed a bill ha he cour deemed cons i u ional.96 Te cour lifed all o i s orderson educa ion unding, releasing he s a e rom decades o judicial oversigh .97


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Bu when Gov. Chris Chris ie (R) ook office in 2010, his rs budge slashed undingor educa ion, including he urban dis ric s or which he cour had previously ordered

more resources.98 Te cour ruled ha hese cu s viola ed he s a e cons i u ion, andi reimposed i s remedial order or more unding or he poorer schools.99 Te courdescribed he cu s as a real, subs an ial, and consequen ial blow o he righ o heachievemen o a horough and efficien sys em o educa ion.100

Chris ie responded by arguing ha he cour should no de ermine wha programs hes a e should and should no be unding,101 despi e he language in he s a e cons i u-

ion. Chris ie campaigned agains he cour or legisla ing rom he bench and pledgedo reshape he cour .102 In an unpreceden ed power grab, Chris ie in 2010 hrew a

respec ed jus ice off he bench by denying him enure. A recen Cen er or AmericanProgress repor s a ed:

Every governor be ore Chris ie even a Republican governor who served as his men-or did no view he execu ive appoin men power in his way. Chris ies atemp s o

make he cour more conserva ive ran a oul o radi ions ha have ensured he highcour s independence fom he poli ical branches o governmen since he ra ica ion o hes a e cons i u ion. Un il now, he poli ical branches renomina ed every siting jus ice or

enure, regardless o whe her hey agreed wi h he jus ices rulings, and main ained a par-isan balance in which nei her Republicans nor Democra s had more han a 4-3 majori y

on he cour . Chris ie is rying o change all o his. He wan s a conserva ive cour hawill rule in his avor and agains middle-class amilies and poor school dis ric s.103

Te Democra -con rolled New Jersey S a e Sena e has resis ed Chris ies effor by re us-ing o conrm some o his nominees.104 Chie Jus ice S uar Rabner has lled he vacan

sea s by appoin ing lower cour judges, bu he chie jus ice is up or enure in June.105

Alaska: Leaving some students out in the cold

When Alaska became a s a e, each s uden atended one o wo school sys ems oneopera ed by he U.S. Bureau o Indian Affairs or Na ive Alaskan s uden s or one oper-a ed by he s a e or non-Na ive Alaskan s uden s.106 Te new s a e adop ed a cons i u-

ion ha required he legisla ure o main ain a sys em o public schools open o allchildren o he s a e.107

As discussed above, a group o mos ly Na ive Alaskan school dis ric s and s uden s suedhe s a e in 2004, bu hey setled he case afer he s a e promised $18 million or he

lowes -per orming schools.108 A 2011 lawsui setlemen led o more unding or ruralschool acili ies.109


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A new lawsui , however, alleges ha he s a e is no spending enough money on non-rural school acili ies ha are loca ed in he s a es boroughs, ra her han in unincor-pora ed, rural areas.110 Boroughs in Alaska con ribu e some o he cos s or educa ing

heir s uden s, bu unincorpora ed communi ies do no .111 Tis lawsui alleges ha , byrequiring Ke chikan Borough o pick up par o he ab or educa ion, he s a e is noproviding an adequa e educa ion o s uden s in Ke chikan.112

Gov. Sean Parnell (R) responded by warning ha i Ke chikan is he driving orce behind a lawsui ha could resul in more nancial exposure o he s a e, legisla ors andI view [budge ary] reques s rom Ke chikan hrough ha lens.113 Parnell said, I jusreally made i easy or legisla ors o say no o Ke chikans projec s.114

Regardless o whe her s uden s in he boroughs are being uncons i u ionally shor -changed, a hrea o use scal appropria ions o punish a school dis ric or ling a law-sui se s a dangerous preceden . I he same hrea had been made o he mos ly Na ive Alaskan dis ric s in he earlier lawsui s, he plain iffs may have el pressure o back off.

Parnell quickly back racked in he ace o cri icism and pledged airness and equi y inappropria ions. Bu he no ed ha here are many s a e legisla ors who will be making

hose kinds o decisions as well.115

Parnell suppor s a cons i u ional amendmen in Alaska ha would roll back he s a esupreme cour s au hori y over educa ion unding in one area: school vouchers.116 When Alaskans required an educa ion or all s uden s in i s cons i u ion, hey included he man-da es ha schools shall be ree rom sec arian con rol. No money shall be paid rom pub-lic unds or he direc bene o any religious or o her priva e educa ional ins i u ion.117

In 1979, he Alaska Supreme Cour in erpre ed his o mean ha he s a e could noaward gran s o s uden s or ui ion a priva e colleges.118 Te cour reasoned ha hes uden is merely a condui or he ransmission o s a e unds o priva e colleges.119 Te cour no ed ha vo ers had rejec ed an ini ia ive jus a ew years earlier o repeal hecons i u ional provisions a issue.120

Now, Alaska Republicans are rying again. Te legisla ure is considering an amendmenha would allow voucher programs o move orward.121 Dick Komer, an atorney or he

pro-voucher Ins i u e or Jus ice, said he cour s 1979 ruling clearly wen oo ar and voiced suppor or an amendmen o over urn i .122

Te sponsor o he cons i u ional amendmen claims ha polls show massive supporor he amendmen , bu ci izens speaking a a recen public orum overwhelmingly

opposed school vouchers.123 One Alaskan said, Public dollars should be used or publicschools and should no be diver ed o unaccoun able priva e, sec arian, and religiousschools.124 A represen a ive o he local NAACP warned ha he amendmen will pro-mo e educa ion as a priva e commodi y ra her han a public endeavor.125


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Conclusion

School sys ems in America ge much o heir unding hrough local proper y axrevenue.126 Tese sys ems leave more unding or school dis ric s wi h more valuableproper y and less or dis ric s wi hou as much proper y ax revenue.127 Mos s a egovernmen s ry o equalize educa ion wi h s a e unding,128 bu s a e legisla ors will

na urally avor he school dis ric s ha hey represen and hose wi h poli ical power. When cour s orce legisla ures o comply wi h he respec ive s a e cons i u ions, somes a e legisla ors respond by hrea ening judicial independence.

Cour s mus be ree rom poli ical pressure so hey can check he au hori y o heexecu ive and legisla ive branches. Te dispari ies in s a es such as Washing on and New Jersey prove ha poor school dis ric s are shor changed in he poli ical process andcanno expec legisla ors o pro ec heir righ s o an adequa e educa ion. Tis means

ha s a e supreme cour s are he only ins i u ions ha can en orce he legisla urescons i u ional responsibili ies o provide an educa ion orall s uden s. I he cour s

canno demand ha legisla ors live up o heir cons i u ional obliga ions, no one can.129

Te manda e o provide an adequa e educa ion means no hing i here is no ins i u ion besides he legisla ure o dene his obliga ion.

Tere are curren ly 11 lawsui s over inequi able school unding pending in s a ecour s.130 Over he years, all bu ve s a es have been he subjec s o such lawsui s,according o S a eline, he news service or he Pew Chari able rus s.131 Te ocus o

hese lawsui s are shifing, now ha plain iffs have s a is ical da a ha show unequalou comes in educa ion. One lawsui in Michigan, or example, seeks o en orce a s a u e

ha says ha all hird-grade s uden s mus learn o read.132 Te Cen er or American

Progress said in December 2013 ha his lawsui could be he la es in a s ring o cases advancing argumen s abou equi y in he delivery o educa ion, ra her han jus henancing o educa ion.133

As hese argumen s wind heir way hrough s a e cour s, advoca es or educa ion- und-ing equali y mus ac o pro ec judicial independence. Many paren s and eachers in

hese s a es have no hesi a ed o le heir legisla ures know he impor ance o educa ionunding and re orm.134 Tey should also demand ha heir legisla ors respec judicial

independence and s op atacks on cour s ha order s a es o improve schools. S uden sin poor dis ric s should be able o urn o cour s or jus ice wi hou worrying abou whe her poli icians will pressure judges o rule or he s a e.

Billy Corriher is he Direc or o Research or Legal Progress a he Cen er or American Progress.


12/14


Endnotes

1 Andrew Cohen, Welcome to Tennessee, where lawmakersare trying to kneecap judges, The Week , January 29, 2014,available at http://theweek.com/article/index/255658/welcome-to-tennessee-where-lawmakers-are-trying-to-kneecap-judges .

2 Bill Raftery, Changes to merit selection commissions move

out of committee in three states, Gavel-to-Gavel, February27, 2014, available at http://gaveltogavel.us/2014/02/27/changes-to-merit-selection-commissions-move-out-of-committee-in-three-states-2-bills-would-diminish-role-of-attorneysstate-bar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GavelToGavel+%28Gavel+to+Gavel%29.

3 Gannon v. State of Kansas , The Supreme Court of theState of Kansas (March 7, 2014) (No. 109,335), available athttp://www.kscourts.org/Cases-and-Opinions/opinions/SupCt/2014/20140307/109335.pdf .

4 Dion Leer, Brownback, Wagle: School nance rulingcould trigger public ght over Supreme Court selection,The Wichita Eagle, November 7, 2013, available at http://www.kansas.com/2013/11/07/3102607/brownback-wagle-school-nance.html.

5 Lawrence-Journal World , Judicial role, January 26, 2014,

available at http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/jan/26/editorial-judicial-role/ .

6 Adrienne Lu, States sued over education funding, Stateline,February 18, 2014, available at http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/states-sued-over-education-funding-85899540818.

7 Ibid.

8 Ibid.

9 Abbott v. Burke, 20 A.3d 1018, 1038 (N.J. 2011);Gannon v.State of Kansas (No. 109,335).

10 Moore v. State of Alaska, The Superior Court of the State ofAlaska (2007) (No. 3AN-04-9756), available at http://nces.ed.gov/edn/pdf/lawsuits/Moore_v_AK.pdf .

11 Ibid.

12 Ibid., p. 35.

13 Ibid., p. 64.

14 Ibid., p. 66.

15 Ibid., p. 31.

16 Ibid.

17 Ibid., p. 185-186.

18 Ibid., p. 186-188.

19 Education Justice, Alaska, available athttp://www.edu-cationjustice.org/states/alaska.html (last accessed March2014).

20 Ibid.

21 Ibid.

22 Ibid; Alaska Const. art. VII 1.

23 Molly A. Hunter, State Constitution Education Clause Lan-guage (Newark, NJ: Education Law Center, 2011), availableat http://pabarcrc.org/pdf/Molly%20Hunter%20Article.pdf .

24 Ibid.

25 Arkansas Const. art. XIV 1.

26 Hunter, State Constitution Education Clause Language.

27 The North Carolina Constitution mandates that, Equalopportunities shall be provided for all students. The WestVirginia and Wisconsin constitutions require that schoolsshall be as nearly uniform as practicabl e. Ibid.

28 Kansas Const. art. VI 1.

29 Montoy v. Kansas , 102 P.3d 1160 (Kansas 2005).


31 Ibid., p. 937.

32 Ibid., p. 934.

33 Ibid., p. 935.

34 Ibid., p. 936.

35 Ibid., p. 940941.


37 Ibid., p. 759.

38 Ibid. 39 Ibid., p. 764.

40 Brent D. Wistrom, Brownback administration wants tocontinue sales tax, cut income taxes further, budget directorsays,The Wichita Eagle, December 11, 2012, available athttp://www.kansas.com/2012/12/11/2600413/brownback-administration-wants.html .

41 Ibid.

42 John Celock, Kansas legislature approves higher sales tax,lower income tax after contentious debate, HuffingtonPost, June 2, 2013, available at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/02/kansas-taxes_n_3374626.html.

43 Gannon v. State of Kansas , The District Court of Shawnee(January 11, 2013) (No. 10-c-1569), available at http://www.shawneecourt.org/DocumentCenter/View/457.

44 Brief of Cross-Appellant at 18,Gannon v. State of Kansas , (No.13-109335-S).

45 Ibid.

46 The Center for American Progress education policy teamcalculated these gures using data on K-12 schools from theU.S. Department of Education. U.S. Department of Educa-tion, Local education agency nance survey, available athttp://nces.ed.gov/ccd/f33agency.asp (last accessed March2014). To eliminate outliers, CAP calculated the range be-tween the 5th percentile district in spending and the 95thpercentile district in spending and used the same approachfor local revenues. CAP adjusted the expenditure data forgeographic differences in cost of living. National Center forEducation Statistics, Comparable Wage Index, available athttp://bush.tamu.edu/research/faculty/Taylor_CWI/ (last ac-cessed March 2013). CAP did not adjust the local revenuesfor differences in cost of living.

47 Ibid., p. 4.

48 Ibid.

49 Brief of Appellant at 95, Gannon v. State of Kansas ( No. 13-109335-S).

50 Brief of Cross-Appellant, at 18, Gannon v. State of Kansas,(No. 13-109335-S), p. 28.

51 Ibid., p. 40.
http://theweek.com/article/index/255658/welcome-to-tennessee-where-lawmakers-are-trying-to-kneecap-judgeshttp://theweek.com/article/index/255658/welcome-to-tennessee-where-lawmakers-are-trying-to-kneecap-judgeshttp://theweek.com/article/index/255658/welcome-to-tennessee-where-lawmakers-are-trying-to-kneecap-judgeshttp://gaveltogavel.us/2014/02/27/changes-to-merit-selection-commissions-move-out-of-committee-in-three-states-2-bills-would-diminish-role-of-attorneysstate-bar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GavelToGavel+%28Gavel+to+Gavel%29http://gaveltogavel.us/2014/02/27/changes-to-merit-selection-commissions-move-out-of-committee-in-three-states-2-bills-would-diminish-role-of-attorneysstate-bar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GavelToGavel+%28Gavel+to+Gavel%29http://gaveltogavel.us/2014/02/27/changes-to-merit-selection-commissions-move-out-of-committee-in-three-states-2-bills-would-diminish-role-of-attorneysstate-bar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GavelToGavel+%28Gavel+to+Gavel%29http://gaveltogavel.us/2014/02/27/changes-to-merit-selection-commissions-move-out-of-committee-in-three-states-2-bills-would-diminish-role-of-attorneysstate-bar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GavelToGavel+%28Gavel+to+Gavel%29http://gaveltogavel.us/2014/02/27/changes-to-merit-selection-commissions-move-out-of-committee-in-three-states-2-bills-would-diminish-role-of-attorneysstate-bar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GavelToGavel+%28Gavel+to+Gavel%29http://gaveltogavel.us/2014/02/27/changes-to-merit-selection-commissions-move-out-of-committee-in-three-states-2-bills-would-diminish-role-of-attorneysstate-bar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GavelToGavel+%28Gavel+to+Gavel%29http://www.kscourts.org/Cases-and-Opinions/opinions/SupCt/2014/20140307/109335.pdfhttp://www.kscourts.org/Cases-and-Opinions/opinions/SupCt/2014/20140307/109335.pdfhttp://www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/jan/26/editorial-judicial-role/http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/jan/26/editorial-judicial-role/http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/states-sued-over-education-funding-85899540818http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/states-sued-over-education-funding-85899540818http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/states-sued-over-education-funding-85899540818http://nces.ed.gov/edfin/pdf/lawsuits/Moore_v_AK.pdfhttp://nces.ed.gov/edfin/pdf/lawsuits/Moore_v_AK.pdfhttp://www.educationjustice.org/states/alaska.htmlhttp://www.educationjustice.org/states/alaska.htmlhttp://pabarcrc.org/pdf/Molly%20Hunter%20Article.pdfhttp://www.kansas.com/2012/12/11/2600413/brownback-administration-wants.htmlhttp://www.kansas.com/2012/12/11/2600413/brownback-administration-wants.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/02/kansas-taxes_n_3374626.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/02/kansas-taxes_n_3374626.htmlhttp://www.shawneecourt.org/DocumentCenter/View/457http://www.shawneecourt.org/DocumentCenter/View/457http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/f33agency.asphttp://bush.tamu.edu/research/faculty/Taylor_CWI/http://bush.tamu.edu/research/faculty/Taylor_CWI/http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/f33agency.asphttp://www.shawneecourt.org/DocumentCenter/View/457http://www.shawneecourt.org/DocumentCenter/View/457http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/02/kansas-taxes_n_3374626.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/02/kansas-taxes_n_3374626.htmlhttp://www.kansas.com/2012/12/11/2600413/brownback-administration-wants.htmlhttp://www.kansas.com/2012/12/11/2600413/brownback-administration-wants.htmlhttp://pabarcrc.org/pdf/Molly%20Hunter%20Article.pdfhttp://www.educationjustice.org/states/alaska.htmlhttp://www.educationjustice.org/states/alaska.htmlhttp://nces.ed.gov/edfin/pdf/lawsuits/Moore_v_AK.pdfhttp://nces.ed.gov/edfin/pdf/lawsuits/Moore_v_AK.pdfhttp://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/states-sued-over-education-funding-85899540818http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/states-sued-over-education-funding-85899540818http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/states-sued-over-education-funding-85899540818http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/jan/26/editorial-judicial-role/http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/jan/26/editorial-judicial-role/http://www.kscourts.org/Cases-and-Opinions/opinions/SupCt/2014/20140307/109335.pdfhttp://www.kscourts.org/Cases-and-Opinions/opinions/SupCt/2014/20140307/109335.pdfhttp://gaveltogavel.us/2014/02/27/changes-to-merit-selection-commissions-move-out-of-committee-in-three-states-2-bills-would-diminish-role-of-attorneysstate-bar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GavelToGavel+%28Gavel+to+Gavel%29http://gaveltogavel.us/2014/02/27/changes-to-merit-selection-commissions-move-out-of-committee-in-three-states-2-bills-would-diminish-role-of-attorneysstate-bar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GavelToGavel+%28Gavel+to+Gavel%29http://gaveltogavel.us/2014/02/27/changes-to-merit-selection-commissions-move-out-of-committee-in-three-states-2-bills-would-diminish-role-of-attorneysstate-bar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GavelToGavel+%28Gavel+to+Gavel%29http://gaveltogavel.us/2014/02/27/changes-to-merit-selection-commissions-move-out-of-committee-in-three-states-2-bills-would-diminish-role-of-attorneysstate-bar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GavelToGavel+%28Gavel+to+Gavel%29http://gaveltogavel.us/2014/02/27/changes-to-merit-selection-commissions-move-out-of-committee-in-three-states-2-bills-would-diminish-role-of-attorneysstate-bar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GavelToGavel+%28Gavel+to+Gavel%29http://gaveltogavel.us/2014/02/27/changes-to-merit-selection-commissions-move-out-of-committee-in-three-states-2-bills-would-diminish-role-of-attorneysstate-bar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GavelToGavel+%28Gavel+to+Gavel%29http://theweek.com/article/index/255658/welcome-to-tennessee-where-lawmakers-are-trying-to-kneecap-judgeshttp://theweek.com/article/index/255658/welcome-to-tennessee-where-lawmakers-are-trying-to-kneecap-judgeshttp://theweek.com/article/index/255658/welcome-to-tennessee-where-lawmakers-are-trying-to-kneecap-judges


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52 Ibid., p. 38.

53 Ibid.

54 The New York Times, Shortchanging Kansas schoolchil-dren, October 13, 2013, available at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/opinion/shortchanging-kansas-schoolchil-dren.html?_r=0 .

55 Mike Shields, Governor takes aim at courts in State of theState speech, Kansas Health I nstitute, January 15, 2014,available at http://www.khi.org/news/2014/jan/15/gover-nor-takes-swipe-courts-state-state-speech/ .

56 Leer, Brownback, Wagle: School nance ruling could trig-ger public ght over Supreme Court selection.

57 Ibid.

58 Ibid.

59 Bill Raftery, Kansas Legislative Year in Review: the endof merit selection for the Court of Appeals, guns incourthouses, Gavel to Gavel, November 27, 2013, availableat http://gaveltogavel.us/2013/11/27/kansas-legislative-year-in-review-the-end-of-merit-selection-for-the-court-of-appeals-guns-in-courthouses/ .

60 Bill Raftery, Upcoming Kansas Supreme Court decision maylead legislature to remove power of state courts to hearschool funding challenges, Gavel to Gavel, January 9, 2014,available at http://gaveltogavel.us/2014/01/09/upcoming-kansas-supreme-court-decision-may-lead-legislature-to-

remove-power-of-state-courts-to-hear-school-funding-challenges/.

61 Gannon v. Kansas (No. 109,335).

62 Ibid.

63 Ibid.

64 Ibid.

65 Bill Raftery, Kansas senate approve more funding for courts,provided they dont nd laws unconstitutional; provisionlanguage used in court vs. legislature K-12 funding ghtbills, Gavel to Gavel, March 7, 2014, available athttp://gaveltogavel.us/2014/03/07/kansas-senate-approves-more-funding-for-courts-provided-they-dont-nd-laws-uncon-stitutional-provision-language-used-in-k-12-funding-ght-bills/.

66 Jacob Gershman, Kansas Bill Would Give Courts MoreMoneybut With a Big Catch, The Wall Street Journal LawBlog, March 7, 2014, available athttp://blogs.wsj.com/law/2014/03/07/kansas-bill-would-gives-courts-more-money-but-with-a-big-catch/.

67 Marie Sullivan, Governor signs budget bills, revenueforecast down again, Washington State School DirectorsAssociation, June 16, 2011, available at http://www.wssda.org/Portals/0/Legislative/LegUpdates2011/dlu_20110616.htm.

68 McCleary v. Washington , 269 P.3d 227, p. 256, endnote 27(Washington 2012).

69 Ibid.

70 Washington Const. art. IX 1.

71 Seattle School District No. 1 v. Washington , 585 P.2d 71 (Wash-ington 1978).

72 Ibid.

73 McCleary v. Washington , 269 P.3d 227, p. 259.

74 Ibid., p. 261.

75 Ibid., p. 254.

76 The Center for American Progress education policy teamcalculated these data using data on K-12 schools from theU.S. Department of Education. U.S. Department of Educa-tion, Local education agency nance survey, available athttp://nces.ed.gov/ccd/f33agency.asp (last accessed March2014). To eliminate outliers, CAP calcu lated the range be-tween the 5th percentile district in spending and the 95thpercentile district in spending and used the same approachfor local revenues. CAP adjusted the expenditure data forgeographic differences in cost of living. National Center forEducation Statistics, Comparable Wage Index, available athttp://bush.tamu.edu/research/faculty/Taylor_CWI/ (last ac-cessed March 2013). CAP did not adjust the local revenues

for differences in cost of living.

77 McCleary v. Washington , 269 P.3d 227, p. 260.

78 Aviva Shen, Washington Republicans try to re SupremeCourt judges by making them draw straws, ThinkProgress,March 7, 2013, available at http://thinkprogress.org/jus-tice/2013/03/07/1688051/washington-republicans-try-to-re-supreme-court-judges-by-making-them-draw-straws/ .

79 S.B. 5867 , 63 Legislature, 1st sess. (2013), available at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2013-14/Pdf/Bills/Sen-ate%20Bills/5867.pdf.

80 Bill Raftery, Anger over WA Supreme Court ruling on schoolnancing case may lead to court being shrunk, Gavel toGavel, January 15, 2014, available at http://gaveltogavel.us/2014/01/15/anger-over-wa-supreme-court-ruling-on-school-nancing-case-may-lead-to-court-being-shrunk/ .

81 John Stang, Baumgartner v. State Supreme Court,Crosscut, February 17, 2014, available at http://crosscut.com/2014/02/17/under-the-dome/118792/baumgartner-vs-state-supreme-court-stang/.

82 Ibid.

83 McCleary v. State of Washington, The Supreme Court ofWashington (2014) (No. 84362-7).

84 Ibid.

85 Stang, Baumgartner v. State Supreme Court.

86 Ibid.

87 Ibid.

88 Christine Rolfes. Phone interview with author, March 4,2014. Washington, D.C.

89 Ibid.

90 Elliott Suhr, Legislature ends on time with basic ed fundingunresolved, Auburn Reporter , March 15, 2014, available athttp://www.auburn-reporter.com/news/250467721.html .

91 Rolfes. Phone interview with author.

92 N.J. Const. art. VIII 4.

93 Robinson v. Cahill , 303 A.2d 273 (N.J. 1973).

94 Ibid.

95 Education Law Center, The History of Abbott v. Burke, avail-able at http://www.edlawcenter.org/cases/abbott-v-burke/abbott-history.html (last accessed March 2014).

96 Abbott v. Burke, 971 A.2d 989 (N.J. 2009).

97 Ibid.

98 Abbott v. Burke, 20 A.3d 1018 (N.J. 2011).

99 Ibid.

100 Ibid., p. 1038.
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14/14

101 GovChristie, Governor Christie on New Jersey SupremeCourts Abbott Ruling, May 24, 2011, available athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c-jQ25JlD8 .

102 Office of the Governor, Governor Christie on the NewJersey Supreme Court, Press release, May 3, 2010, availableat http://www.state.nj.us/governor/news/news/552010/approved/20100503c.html .

103 Billy Corriher and Alex Brown, Chris Christies War onJudicial Independence (Washington: Center for AmericanProgress, 2014), available at http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/ChristieJudicial-report-

Feb.pdf.

104 Ibid., p. 2122.

105 Ibid., p. 1.

106 Moore v. Alaska, p. 148.

107 Alaska Const. art. VII 1.

108 Education Justice, Alaska.

109 Ibid.

110 Daily News Miner , Ketchikan moves forward with schoolfunding lawsuit, January 14, 2014, available at http://www.newsminer.com/news/alaska_news/ketchikan-moves-forward-with-school-funding-lawsuit/article_bab18bc6-7d4d-11e3-a90a-001a4bcf6878.html . Alaska and Louisianaare the only states that do not organize their poli tical

subdivisions into counties.111 Ibid.

112 Ibid.

113 Daily News-Miner , Parnell warns of retaliation againstKetchikan over school funding lawsuit, February 7, 2014,available at http://www.newsminer.com/news/alaska_news/parnell-warns-of-retaliation-against-ketchikan-over-school-funding-lawsuit/article_dba4b188-903e-11e3-83d0-0017a43b2370.html.

114 Ibid.

115 Becky Bohrer, Alaska Gov. says hes not threateningcommunity, Associated Press, February 7, 2014, availableat http://bigstory.ap.org/article/alaska-gov-says-hes-not-threatening-community.

116 Richard Mauer, Parnell: School funds increase linkedto reforms, not vouchers, Anchorage Daily News,January 23, 2014, available at http://www.adn.com/2014/01/23/3288573/parnell-says-funding-increase.html .

117 Alaska Const. art. VII 1.

118 Sheldon Jackson College v. Alaska , 599 P.2d 127 (Alaska 1979).

119 Ibid.

120 Ibid.

121 Richard Mauer, Legislature hearing brings out opposi-tion to school voucher amendment, Anchorage DailyNews, February 3, 2014, available at http://www.adn.com/2014/02/03/3305338/voucher-amendment-wont-harm-public.html .

122 Ibid.

123 Ibid.

124 Ibid.

125 Ibid.

126 Bruce D. Baker and Sean P. Corcoran, The Stealth Inequitiesof School Funding (Washington: Center for American Prog-ress, 2012), available at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2012/09/19/38189/the-stealth-inequities-of-school-funding/ .

127 Ibid.

128 Ibid.

129 Alicia Bannon, Constitutional rights are not political ques-

tions, Brennan Center for Justice, September 27, 2012, avail-able at http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/constitutional-rights-are-not-political-questions .

130 Lu, States sued over education funding.

131 Ibid.

132 Jenny Demonte and Akash Patel, The Right to Read: Suing aState for Better Teaching (Washington: Center for AmericanProgress, 2013), available at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/news/2013/12/05/80350/the-right-to-read-suing-a-state-for-better-teaching/ .

133 Ibid.

134 Mara Rose Williams, Merriam mom walks to Topekato protest school funding cuts, The Kansas City Star ,March 18, 2013, available at http://www.kansascity.com/2013/03/18/4129111/merriam-mom-walks-to-topeka-to.html ; Washington Education Association, StandingStrong, Standing Together: WEAs Day of Action, available athttp://www.washingtonea.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3086:standing-strong-standing-to-gether-weas-day-of-action&catid=194:latest (last accessedMarch 2014).
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Documents

Conservative politicians are lashing out at courts that order equal funding for education