Connecticut’s students are constitutionally guaranteed the right to a college- and career-ready education, the state supreme court said last week, opening the door to a lawsuit that could change the state’s school funding formula.
“We conclude ... the Connecticut constitution guarantees Connecticut’s public school students educational standards and resources suitable to participate in democratic institutions, and to prepare them to attain productive employment and otherwise to contribute to the state’s economy, or to progress on to higher education,” the Connecticut Supreme Court wrote in its opinion.
The court’s ruling overturned a lower court’s 2007 decision in favor of the state. State officials had argued—and the lower court agreed—that the courts could not address whether students were guaranteed a high-quality education because that represented a public-policy question under the purview of the state’s lawmakers.
The case is now expected to move to trial, according to the Connecticut Coalition for Justice, which filed the case.
