MADISON, Wis. (AP / WRN) — A coalition of Wisconsin school districts, teachers’ unions, advocacy groups, parents, students and others has filed a lawsuit against the state Legislature alleging that it’s failing to fund public schools adequately and failed to provide all students with a “sound, basic, and uniform education.”
Districts have long been restricted from raising their spending, and the Legislature under Republican leadership has reduced per-pupil state aid. The lawsuit announced on Tuesday, filed in Eau Claire County, asks the court to adopt a new school finance system that meets the needs of districts unless the Legislature and governor enact one “in a timely fashion.”
The suit has 19 plaintiffs, with five school districts from across the state, including Eau Claire.
The last time districts attempted to use the courts to change the school spending formula was in 2000, when the State Supreme Court’s conservative majority upheld the formula. The court’s current liberal majority will likely rule differently if this lawsuit advances.