AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Lawyers for 600-plus Texas school districts are telling the state Supreme Court that classroom funding is inadequate and unfairly distributed via a “hopelessly broken” system.
State Solicitor General Scott Keller countered Tuesday that funding mechanisms meet the state’s constitutional standards and shouldn’t be altered by the courts.
Oral arguments before the all-Republican court will last about three hours.
A state district judge declared the system unconstitutional. There’s no timetable on when the high court will uphold or overturn that ruling.
The case, which is nearly three years old, is the latest in almost three decades of legal fights over school funding.
In 2011, the Legislature ordered $5.4 billion in cuts. About $3 billion has been restored, but schools say that’s not enough given rising curriculum standards and 5.2 million students.