Justices Reject Ohio System of School Finance

Ohio's system of financing its schools is unconstitutional, a 4-3 majority of the state supreme court ruled last week after months of deliberation.

The state's funding mechanisms failed to meet the "thorough and efficient" standard set for public schools in the Ohio Constitution, Justice Francis E. Sweeney Jr. declared in the majority opinion.

"By our decision today, we send a clear message to lawmakers: The time has come to fix the system," Justice Sweeney wrote. "Let there be no misunderstanding. Ohio's public school financing scheme must...