Arizona lawmakers violated the constitutional requirement to fund public schools, ruled Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Dewain Fox.
In a 114-page decision, Fox stated on Aug. 11 that Arizona schools did not meet the minimum standards in providing adequate equipment for building repairs, even though the Arizona Constitution requires the Legislature to organize and fund a “general and uniform public school system.”
The case, Glendale Elementary School District v. State of Arizona, was filed in 2017 by Glendale Elementary School District, Crane Elementary School District, Chino Valley Unified School District and Elfrida Elementary School District, alongside Arizona School Boards Association, Arizona Education Association and Arizona School Administrators.
They sued the state for failing to uphold the constitutional obligation of providing adequate funding for public schools.
Students have been in environments that cannot withstand over 100-degree weather conditions or prevent exposure to mold or asbestos, Arizona state Sen. Eva Diaz, a Democrat on the Senate Education Committee, said in a press release.
