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Ohio Court Ruling Seen As Helpful To Idaho Suit

Associated Press

An Ohio Supreme Court ruling on school funding will help Idaho school districts in their lawsuit against the state, the schools’ attorney said.

“It will play into our case,” said Robert C. Huntley, a former Supreme Court justice and attorney for the schools suing the Idaho Legislature.

Ohio’s high court ruled 4-3 on Monday that the state’s system of funding public schools is unconstitutional. In the current formula, about half the money for public education comes from local taxes and about half from the state. The court ordered lawmakers to revamp the system and gave them a year to work on it.

Since no federal issues were raised, Ohio’s Supreme Court has the final word.

Idaho Schools for Equal Educational Opportunities formed in 1991 when it filed a lawsuit against the Legislature claiming lawmakers are not giving districts enough money to provide a basic and thorough education. The suit also seeks support for a school building and maintenance backlog.

Statewide interest in the suit has gained momentum since this year’s Legislature approved a bare-bones budget and did not address the building backlog.

Around 25 districts have committed $1,000 each to keep the suit alive, said Jack M. Hill, Moscow superintendent and treasurer for Idaho Schools for Equal Educational Opportunities.

The group is funding an update of a study the Legislature asked for in 1992 that documented $700 million in school building maintenance needs. The building backlog is likely nearing $1 billion, he said.

The Ohio court ruling sets a precedent that applies to the facility funding aspect of the Idaho lawsuit, Huntley said. The Ohio court ruled the state funding formula is unconstitutional because it allows rich school districts to spend far more per pupil than poorer districts.

In Idaho there is no state funding for school buildings and that creates inequity, Huntley said.

Since districts rely on local taxes for building needs, he said, richer districts are able to afford more modern, well-equipped buildings.