Document Type
Report
Publication Date
4-15-2008
Series Number
Volume 5 Issue 1
Keywords
Arkansas, school funding, improved school equity
Abstract
Over the last half century, more than forty states across the nation have experienced school finance lawsuits as a consequence of funding gaps between rich and poor districts. Arkansas is one such state, with a long history of school funding battles in the courts. The legal challenges began in 1983, when the Arkansas Supreme Court initially found the state's school funding system unconstitutional under the equal protection clause of the state constitution1 . The court found “no legitimate state purpose” and “no rational relationship to educational needs” in the state's method of financing public schools. This initial finding set the course of education policymaking in Arkansas ever since.
Citation
Barnett, J. H., Ritter, G. W., & Riffel, B. E. (2008). The State of Education in Arkansas 2008: How Much Are Arkansas Schools Spending?. Arkansas Education Reports. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/oepreport/47