Columbia Falls Elementary School District Number 6 v. State
Montana Supreme Court
109 P.3d 257 (2005)
- Written by Deanna Curl, JD
Facts
A group of Montana school districts and education advocates (the education advocates) filed a lawsuit alleging that the state of Montana (defendant) had failed to properly fund the public-school system in violation of the Montana Constitution’s guarantee of a free, quality public-school system. At trial, the undisputed facts established that many of the state’s school districts were experiencing severe budget problems such as operating at near-maximum budgets, increased program cuts, and increased competition for allocation of funds to general- versus special-education programs. The evidence also established that Montana students generally performed well on standardized tests relative to students in other states. The district court found that the state had failed to define what constitutes a quality education system under the Montana Constitution and failed to meet its constitutional obligations to properly fund the public-school system. The state subsequently appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Leaphart, J.)
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