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Iowa
Useful Resources
Iowa
Suit Seeks Equitable and Adequate School Funding
In 2002, a coalition of 160 Iowa school districts and
individual plaintiffs
brought suit in state district court, alleging that
the current finance system violates the Iowa constitution's
education clause because it creates significant disparities
in educational resources and does not provide sufficient
resources for many districts to be able to offer an
adequate education to their students.
Plaintiffs challenged a 1998 infrastructure funding
statute, which they describe as shortchanging school
districts in "non-retail-rich" counties and
preventing them from generating sufficient funds to
provide safe, healthy learning environments. Plaintiffs'
Petition to the court also explained how aging and
declining infrastructure impacts student attendance
and teacher retention, prevents installation of new
technology, and causes overcrowding and cancellation
of numerous school days due to excessive heat.
In 2004, after legislative changes to the funding statues,
plaintiffs and the state reached a settlement. The suit
was withdrawn without prejudice.
Iowa is one of only six states where no court has decided
a legal challenge claiming the state's school funding
system violates the state constitution. Five states--Delaware,
Hawai'i, Mississippi,
Nevada, and Utah--have
not had this type of litigation.
In addition, Iowa is the only state in the country
that lacks statewide academic standards. In April 2008,
plaintiffs in King
v. State of Iowa filed a petition in Polk County
District Court alleging that the state has failed to
provide equal access to an effective education. Plaintiffs
are not asking for changes in the state’s education
finance system; rather, they are asking the court to
order the state to adopt educational standards and undertake
other educational reforms.
Useful Resources
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Report, "Public School Finance Programs of the
United States and Canada," describes the Iowa
school funding system.
Last Updated, February 2008 | 
