Schools, teacher groups sue Wisconsin Legislature over K-12 funding

(The Center Square) – The Green Bay, Eau Claire, Beloit, Necedah and Adams-Friendship school districts along with parent-teacher groups, educator associations and individuals are suing the Wisconsin Legislature saying that it does not properly fund K-12 public education in the state in a constitutional way.

The lawsuit was filed by Law Forward and the Wisconsin Education Association Council.

The lawsuit speaks to local property tax increases, the increased number of students with exceptional needs and changes over time in how much the state spends on education. It asks the court to “render the current school finance system unconstitutional.”

“The Legislature’s failure to provide adequate state funding for public school districts violates article I, section 22 because ‘free government’ is at risk,” the lawsuit states. “Also, the Legislature’s failure to prioritize public schools and allocate sufficient state funding to meet constitutional guarantees to public school students vi...