School Funding Lawsuit

For immediate release:                         For additional information contact:
June 11, 2007                                        Bill Bjork, President
                                                              Virginia McKinney, Communications Director
                                                              274-0536 (work); 263-8529 (direct);
                                                              229-1803 (cell, occas. on)

Media Advisory

Who:               Superior Court Judge Sharon Gleason

What:             Expected to rule soon in Moore vs. State of Alaska,
                         landmark school funding lawsuit

When:            Judge Gleason has until June 19 (six months after closing
                         arguments last December) to issue a decision.

Where:            Superior Court for the State of Alaska, Third Judicial District at
                         Anchorage

Why:                Moore vs. State of Alaska challenges the constitutionality of K-12 school
                        funding on the grounds of adequacy: because the state does not invest
                        enough money in its schools to provide an adequate education for all
                        students. The lawsuit was filed August 9, 2004, and the month-long trial
                         ended in early November 2006.

Alaska’s Constitution states, “the legislature shall by general law establish and maintain a system of public schools open to all children of the state.” But the state has consistently and repeatedly failed to provide an adequate education for all children.

Over the past two decades, while Alaska has enjoyed unparalleled wealth, lawmakers have systematically reduced investment in K-12 schools. Inflation alone has cut the value of each education dollar almost in half.

Over the past four years, Alaskans have finally seen some progress with increased funding from Juneau—but most of the increases have been shifted to meet increased energy, insurance and retirement costs. Little has actually made it into classrooms.

Adequacy in school funding is THE civil rights issue of our day. Moore is a natural extension of the Brown vs. Board of Education case that struck down segregated schools 53 years ago.

The state’s benchmark tests and the exit exam clearly define what an education is. Yet large numbers of children fail the tests that determine whether these children have obtained the basic literacy level that we expect of all members of our society.

Remedy: Plaintiffs ask that the court order the state to conduct a cost analysis for providing a constitutionally adequate education, and then to order the state to fund that education accordingly.

###

► Landmark school funding lawsuit comes to trial (Oct 02, 2006)
► School funding lawsuit clears last procedural hurdle (Jun 15, 2006)
► Media Advisory: Oral arguments on standard of review (Mar 14, 2006)
► Judge throws out state's motion to dismiss school funding lawsuit: (Sept 6, 2005)
► Educators, school districts, parents file landmark lawsuit against the state:
(Aug 9, 2005


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