The Supreme Court of Florida rejected a lawsuit on Friday that claimed the state was failing to provide constitutionally mandated “high quality” education for all.
The lawsuit, which was filed nearly a decade ago by parents, students and advocacy groups, claimed the state wasn’t properly funding schools as outlined in a 1998 amendment approved by voters, which makes it the state’s “paramount duty to make adequate provisions for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free public schools that allows students to obtain a high quality education.”
The court narrowly rejected the claim with a 4-3 decision on several factors. In addition to the plaintiffs failing to show what level and manner the schools should be funded, the court declined to settle a matter it felt should fall under those of the state’s legislature.
Three justices dissented, stating, “The majority of this Court eviscerates article IX, section 1, of the Florida Constitution, contrary to the clear intent of the voters, and abdicates its responsibility to interpret this critical provision and construe the terms ‘uniform,’ ‘efficient,’ and ‘high quality,’ enshrined in that provision.” Additionally, the dissent calls attention to the disparity in education for minority students and pointed to statistics that show strong correlation between test scores and school funding.