Memphis-based Shelby County Schools, the state’s largest district, filed the original lawsuit in 2015. The case pits 89 school systems against the state over whether it allocates enough money to give students an adequate education. I think the concern now is whether partisan politics are shaping the court that ultimately has to make the ruling,” said Candelaria, who researches education funding. “When we think about school finance reform, the courts are one of the only opportunities to effect change outside of a political process that exists within the legislature. Schools in lower-income areas and students who live in poverty, have disabilities, or are learning to speak English as a second language would be most affected.Ĭhris Candelaria, a public policy professor at Vanderbilt University, said the new judicial landscape adds another layer to an already complex case.
SOUNDPLANT TRIAL RESET TRIAL
The outcome of the school funding trial could have major implications for K-12 education and, if successful, force Tennessee to invest significantly more money in public schools in a state that ranks 46th in the nation in student funding. Among them were last year’s decisions striking down Lee’s school voucher law and expanding access to absentee voting during the pandemic.Ĭritics have called the creation of a so-called “super-chancery court” an attack on Tennessee’s judiciary, while supporters argue the bench should better reflect the conservative political leanings of the state’s voters. Bill Lee and effective July 1, the law stems from the GOP-controlled legislature’s frustration with rulings from judges elected in heavily Democratic Nashville, the seat of state government. How the reshuffled judiciary could affect the trial’s outcome is being closely watched regionally and nationally, partly to see whether partisan politics come into play. The changes come as the result of a new law that creates a statewide court to hear thorny matters related to state government. But several recent court orders have reset the proceedings for February before a panel of three judges representing East, Middle, and West Tennessee.Īnd instead of being heard in Nashville - where constitutional challenges to Tennessee laws have traditionally been hashed out - the three-week trial will take place in a courtroom in Murfreesboro, a university town south of Nashville. The trial in the 6-year-old case had been scheduled to begin in November before a single judge. Bill Lee holds briefing to address COVID numbers across the state and in schoolsĪ major lawsuit challenging whether Tennessee adequately funds public schools will be among the first to go to trial under a new law that is reshaping the state’s judiciary.