Gubernatorial hopefuls react to school funding decision | Billings Gazette

[Ediacara]

Gubernatorial hopefuls react to school funding decision

By CHARLES S. JOHNSON
Gazette State Bureau

HELENA - Reactions varied among gubernatorial candidates Friday to the state District Court decision this week that threw out Montana's current method of funding schools as inadequate under the state constitution.

With the decision by District

Judge Jeffrey Sherlock of Helena likely to be appealed to the Montana Supreme Court, most of the candi-dates said it would be premature to respond.

Few were willing to talk about how they might raise the additional $350 million in state money for K-12 schools that one study said is required.

However, Republican Ken Miller of Laurel was an outspoken critic of Sherlock and the decision.

More at the Billings Gazette

[Ediacara]

1. This is in response to

Judge: Montana school funding inadequate

By ALLISON FARRELL of the Standard State Bureau - 04/16/2004

HELENA - Montana is violating its own constitution by failing to adequately fund public schools and must come up with a new way to finance schools by October 2005, District Judge Jeffrey Sherlock ruled Thursday.

The state will likely appeal to the Montana Supreme Court.

If the Helena judge's decision is upheld, taxpayers could end up paying $350 million more each year for Montana's schools.

Sherlock said he postponed the effective date of his decision to give the Legislature "ample" time to develop a new funding system. Despite the pending appeal, the plaintiffs' lead attorney Jim Molloy said Sherlock's favorable decision "significantly strengthens" their case.

More at the Butte Montana Standard

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2. Arkansas is undergoing school funding problems

The courts ruled that funding wasn't fair. So the state has done these things:

1. Made small school districts consolodate-but only their administrations. Looks like no one will really lose their jobs, they'll just get re-titled. And schools will lose their local identities.

2. State sales tax went up from 5.25% to 6%. A surtax was placed on state taxes, which basically means that the deductions given for individual are more than wiped out.

And I still don't see how in the world these issues will make Arkansas move from being 49th in education.