The state of Michigan and several school districts have “achieved a broad framework” to settle a lawsuit in which the districts say the state acted unlawfully by threatening to close low-performing schools in their districts. Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens on Tuesday morning said both sides have “engaged in intense settlement conversations seeking to serve the best interest of …
A group of Arizona school districts and several school groups announced during a press conference at Landmark Elementary School May 1 they have filed a lawsuit against the State of Arizona and the Arizona School Facilities Board over cuts to funding for public school buildings and maintenance. “The case filed this morning in superior court alleges the school finance system is unconstitutional …
A coalition of public educators, administrators and parents gathered on the steps of a Glendale middle school Monday to announce a $2 billion lawsuit against the state. The suit, headed by the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, contends the governor, state legislators and the school facilities board have failed in their constitutional duty to financially support school districts for capital funding needs. “The state’s failure to provide funding for school buildings, facilities, and …
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Des Moines Water Works against several upstream agriculture drainage districts, dismissing the utility’s claims and stating that the Iowa Legislature is the appropriate body to address the state’s water quality crisis. Bill Stowe, chief executive officer and general manager of Des Moines Water Works, told KCCI on Friday evening that he’s …
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana on March 13 will hear a Terrebonne Parish NAACP lawsuit seeking to create a majority-minority judicial district system to better represent the blacks and minorities in the parish. Multiple attempts at creating legislation to break up the parish failed before the lawsuit was filed in 2014, according to a reportby the …
A federal lawsuit claiming Michigan’s political districts give Republicans an unfair advantage is coming, says Attorney Mark Brewer. “We are planning a lawsuit claiming, with good evidence, that the House and Senate and Congressional redistricting plans are partisan gerrymandered,” said Brewer, who used to chair the Michigan Democratic Party but said he was not working with them …
School districts in Ventura County just got a boost in state funding to improve technology on campuses. The money came from a 13-year-old legal settlement that continues to reap benefits for the state’s educational system. A total of $11.9 million in K-12 technology vouchers was distributed last month to more than 8,000 California districts and schools as part of the 2003 …
After a Connecticut judge called his state’s school funding system “irrational” and “unconstitutional,” an eleven-year-old school funding lawsuit is now headed to the state supreme court for final adjudication. In 2005, a coalition made up of municipalities, parents and education advocacy groups and calling itself the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding filed a lawsuit …
On Monday Northern California Judge Barry Goode denied the claims in the Doe v. Antioch Unified lawsuit – the second legal setback in recent months to education advocates who believe ineffective teacher have too many job protections. Lawyers who filed the suit on behalf of the parents of school children and California taxpayers claimed that the 13 districts, including seven in Southern …
The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) and the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) have offered to underwrite the legal costs for the defense of the drainage districts targeted in the Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) lawsuit. Leaders of the utility claim officials in Buena Vista, Calhoun and Sac Counties have failed to adequately manage 10 drainage districts in their area, causing nitrate levels …