News in Brief: School-Finance Suit Is Dismissed in N.M.

A New Mexico judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by 10 medium-size school districts challenging the state's education-funding formula.

They argued that the formula unfairly favors large and small districts, and thus violates the state constitution's requirement of a "uniform education system." (See Education Week, Feb. 1, 1995.)

But Eddy County Judge Richard Parsons ruled Feb. 1 that the districts' concerns do not rise to a constitutional issue and should be resolved by state lawmakers rather than by the courts. He also said that the suit was improperly filed, because state law does not allow a government entity like a school district to...