States on Ropes in Finance Lawsuits

After 15 years of litigation over whether states are adequately financing their K-12 schools, the momentum has tipped in favor of those who say they are not.

Of the six major judicial decisions in the past 18 months, advocates of increased school funding have won each time, dramatically changing the finance landscape in those states—and perhaps others.

“It does feel to us when we have a major win, that just builds momentum,” said Molly A. Hunter, the director of legal research for the Advocacy Center for Children’s Educational Success with Standards. Known as ACCESS, the group is a national coalition of school finance lawyers, based...