School Funding Suit Filed in Kentucky

On January 16, 2003, almost thirteen years after Kentucky enacted a new school funding system and major education reforms in response to the landmark Rose v. Council for Better Education court decision, 16 Kentucky students and their parents have filed a new school funding lawsuit, Young v. Williams. Plaintiffs are asking the Franklin County Circuit Court to: declare the current funding system unconstitutional; require the General Assembly to pass a budget, which it failed to do last year; and, mandate funding that is adequate for a "proper education" and equitable among districts.

The plaintiff students attend schools in eight south-central Kentucky school districts, and the suit names as defendants Senate President David Williams, House Speaker Jody Richards, and Governor Paul Patton.

Recently, Kentucky education stakeholders, including the Prichard Committee, have expressed concerns that the state's education finance system does not provide adequate funding for a quality education. Debate has begun to focus on the state's tax structure, which--like the tax structures in most states--has not evolved as the economy has changed. State revenues over the last decade have not kept pace with economic growth and actual increases in education costs and have been further depressed by the current recession.

Both the state and the Council for Better Education are in the process of preparing "adequacy" costing-out studies at this time.

Prepared January 17, 2003