Cartoon Analysis #14

Arian Smith
EDU 210
10/23/2017
My opinions

Lack of funds for Why does the

A temporary fix
school needed school lack the
instead of solution to
equipment (safe funds – It can create
the problem (broken
school bus for disadvantages for
school bus)
children) students
Serrano v. Priest, 1971 (Serrano I)

 Students and families argued that the California school finance system,
which relies heavily on local property tax, disadvantaged the students in
lower income districts.

 The California Supreme Court found the system in violation of the Equal
Protection Clause because there was too much of a disparity in terms of
funding for various districts.
NRS 387.121 (The Nevada Plan)

 The Nevada Plan is the means used to finance elementary and secondary
education.

 The legislature declared that the proper objective of the states financial aid
to public education is to ensure each Nevada child a reasonably equal
educational opportunity.

 The state should supplement local financial ability to whatever extent

necessary in each school district to provide programs of instruction.
Rodriguez v. San Antonio, 1973

 Education is not a fundamental right under the federal Constitution, so

those who were seeking "funding equity" for schools in less-advantaged
areas went to the state courts.

 The basic claim is that the property tax base per pupil is a lot less in low-
income school districts, so there should be more tax support collected from
statewide sources and distributed to the low-income districts, to balance
out the revenues for rich and poor within a given state.

 There have since been "equity" or "adequacy" school-financing lawsuits in

45 of the 50 states, with landmark cases in Kentucky and Montana.
Williams v. California, 2004

 A class action suit out of San Francisco in 2000 alleged that schools in California
were offering less educational opportunity for low-income children and English
Language Learners than for middle-income children.

 The suit stated that the teaching quality, books, and school conditions were
worse in low income schools.

 The case was settled out of court and resulted in $1 billion allocated to equalize
conditions.

 This was taken notice of by other states and they have taken steps to equalize
their systems.
Abbott v. Burke (1985-2011)

 New Jersey’s Educational Law Center claimed that the school finance
system both disadvantaged students in low-income districts.

 Due to the school finance system, there was considerable differences in the
education offered to poor districts compared to wealthy districts.

 The Supreme Court found the system unconstitutional and ordered that the
state implement a program to ensure that funding in the “Abbott Districts”
would be equivalent to wealthier districts.
References

 https://edeq.stanford.edu/sections/landmark-us-cases-related-equality-
opportunity-education

 http://www.showandtellforparents.com/wfdata/frame154-
1000/pressrel64.asp

 https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-387.html