Leandro vs. The State of North Carolina

There is a  disparity in the access and quality of education between lower income communities and wealthier communities and the funding that supports  these systems.  Unfortunately, this  problem crosses communities throughout the United States.

In North Carolina in 1994 this issue was brought to light in what’s called the Leandro vs. the Sate of North Carolina case. Below is an over of the Leandro vs. NC-Public School case and the hopes of change this verdict will bring.

Leandro vs. NC – Public School Forum of North Carolina

In 1994, five school districts in low-wealth counties along with families filed a lawsuit against the state (Leandro v. State of North Carolina) arguing that their school districts did not have enough money to provide an equal education for their children, despite the fact that they taxed their residents higher than average. Twenty-five years later, the Leandro case remains one of the biggest education policy issues in North Carolina — and those counties — Hoke, Halifax, Robeson, Vance, and Cumberland — which were among the lowest funded in the state, remain toward the bottom of our rankings in terms of their ability to support public schools on a per pupil basis.

Twice the Supreme Court has ruled (1997, 2004) that North Carolina has a constitutional obligation to ensure all children have access to a sound basic education that includes competent and well-trained teachers and principals, as well as equitable access to sufficient resources. Our research, however, has demonstrated that our state continues to fall short to meet that constitutional obligation, as affirmed by the Leandro rulings.

To read full article Click here: https://www.ncforum.org/leandro/

To date the a group of House Democrats are backing Bill 1129 and Bill 1130. These two Bills they feel will help the State fulfill its obligation, providing an equitable and sound education to the children in North Carolina.  The additional funding needed from the State is estimated to cost $427 million next school year, according to attorneys in the longstanding case.