Ten school districts have filed a lawsuit challenging North Dakota’s school finance system. The suit, Williston Public School District v. State, is based on both adequacy and equity grounds. It cites the results of a recently commissioned adequacy study, which concluded that the state needed to increase its spending on K-12 education by 31 percent. The state uses a foundation formula to distribute money to districts, with a foundation level of $2,623 in fiscal 2005. That figure is multiplied by a weighted student enrollment. The weighted enrollment includes adjustments for grade level, district size, alternative education, special education, English-language learners, and district sparsity. The state then deducts from the aid it provides to districts the revenue from a 36-mill property tax. The revenue generated from that deduction is reallocated to districts with below-average per-pupil spending and property values. The state does not have any taxes, fees, or lottery revenues earmarked for education. But 50 percent of North Dakota’s money from a multistate legal settlement with tobacco companies is dedicated to education.
In March 2024, Education Week announced the end of the Quality Counts report after 25 years of serving as a comprehensive K-12 education scorecard. In response to new challenges and a shifting landscape, we are refocusing our efforts on research and analysis to better serve the K-12 community. For more information, please go here for the full context or learn more about the EdWeek Research Center.
