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Florida
Recent Events
Historical Background
In 1995, plaintiffs filed an "adequacy" case,
Coalition for Adequacy and Fairness in School Funding
v. Chiles, to challenge the state's system of funding
its public schools. In its 1996 decision affirming the
lower court's dismissal of the case, the Florida Supreme
Court was deeply concerned about the separation of powers
doctrine and found that plaintiffs had "failed
to demonstrate . . . an appropriate standard for determining
‘adequacy' that would not present a substantial
risk of judicial intrusion into the powers and responsibilities
of the legislature."
After losing the Coalition for Adequacy case,
education advocates in Florida turned to the state's
initiative and referendum process. Voters approved an
amendment to the state constitution in the November
1998 election and dramatically strengthened the education
clause. The new language makes Florida's education clause
one of the most strongly worded in the nation:
The education of children is a fundamental value
of the people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore,
a paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision
for the education of all children residing within
its borders. Adequate provision shall be made by law
for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality
system of free public schools that allows students
to obtain a high quality education...
Recent Events
In October 2006, a Florida appellate court affirmed
a trial court’s dismissal in School Board
of Miami-Dade County v. King. Plaintiffs had challenged
the legislature’s adoption of “amenities-based
indices” for the calculation of district cost
differentials, a decision that cost the Miami-Dade school
district $88 million in 2006-07. According to plaintiffs,
the legislation violated the state constitution’s
guarantee of a uniform high quality education, in addition
to discriminatorily denying equal funding opportunity.
On March 18, 2008 Florida's ACLU tested
a new adequacy theory by filing a class action lawsuit
for poor graduation rates. The lawsuit, Schroeder
et al v. Palm Beach Co Sch. Bd et al, sues
the district for failing to provide a "uniform,
efficient, safe, secure and high-quality education"
for all students.
Last Updated, February 2008 |
