HARTFORD, Conn. (AP/WTNH) — A Connecticut Superior Court judge has ruled that the state’s education funding system is irrational and unconstitutional.
Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher ruled Wednesday in an 11-year-old lawsuit that the state must overhaul its education system and come up with a new funding formula within 180 days to ensure the state’s poorest school districts have resources to provide an adequate education.
“If they are to succeed where they are most strained schools have to be about teaching children and nothing else,” said Moukawsher.
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The Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding filed its lawsuit in 2005, arguing that Connecticut’s current system results in more money for wealthy districts, while poorer ones suffer.
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“We don’t need to do the same thing to every single district in the state,” said State Representative Gail Lavielle, who is also the House Ranking Member of the General Assembly’s Education Committee. “So the districts need to be looked at for their individual issues and problems.”
The state has said all public schools are adequately funded and there has been no evidence to show that spending more would lead to better test scores.
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Jennifer Alexander, CEO of the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, or ConnCAN, issued the following statement after Wednesday’s ruling:
Judge Moukawsher’s ruling reinforces our position that money alone will not improve our public schools. We are pleased that he has called on our state leaders to make bold changes needed to ensure that students are graduating high school ready for college and career. His sweeping ruling called on lawmakers to develop a fair, predictable, transparent and sustainable way to distribute education funding that promotes excellence across all types of public schools. We applaud these principles and Judge Moukawsher’s call for bold and immediate legislative actions to close our state’s appalling opportunity gaps.”
New Haven Superintendent of Schools Garth Harries released this statement in response to the ruling:
From the beginning of the lawsuit, New Haven has been a plaintiff in this case and has collaborated with information gathering and advocacy. Educators in New Haven have done the best we can with the resources we have, and we have much to be proud of in that work – including our focus on schools in low-income communities schools and strategic investments. This ruling, however, pushes the state further down the path of finally delivering the full resources that our students deserve in order to secure their future.
As a district, we look forward to seeing what the State proposes as a funding redesign in the coming months – which we’re confident will build on recent investments like the Alliance District and Commissioners network, while offering even more equitable, transparent, and predictable funding.”
The case is expected to end up before the state Supreme Court.
