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Judge: Connecticut education funding system unconstitutional

A Connecticut Superior Court judge has ruled that the state's education funding system is irrational and unconstitutional.

The Superior Court Judge 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.

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.  Danbury is a lead plaintiff in the case.

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.

The case is expected to end up before the state Supreme Court.

 

Mayor Mark Boughton is tweeting from the courtroom and says the Judge has ordered the state to come up with a rational formula for distributing education dollars.  The state has 180 days to submit that new school spending formula plan. 

 

Boughton says he thinks public education in Connecticut will never be the same, and that the state isn't going to be happy about it.  The Judge reportedly made a case for an elementary school graduation exam and a new system to determine graduation that is rational.  Boughton says he's not sure if this is where the Coalition wanted the decision to go. 

 

The Judge reportedly said that the state is letting graduation rates rise without any learning happening and that the state should not be able to claim it is powerless or its hands are tied when it has tied the knots itself.

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Brian Kilmeade

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