State Journal

Illinois school officials who thought they had hit a dead end when their 6-year legal fight against the state's school finance system was rebuffed by the state supreme court have found an unexpected and vocal supporter.

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, appearing in the Illinois capital on behalf of his civil rights group, pledged a statewide campaign to overhaul the system.

"One of the premises of our democracy is equal opportunity and equal protection under the law," Mr. Jackson told a group of reporters late last month. "These wide disparities in the amount of money spent on youth have wide...