Title: Brigham v. State

State: vermont

Issuer: Vermont Supreme Court

Document:

Brigham v. State (2004-295); 179 Vt. 525; 889 A.2d 715

2005 VT 105

[Filed 12-Sep-2005]

                                 ENTRY ORDER

                                 2005 VT 105

                      SUPREME COURT DOCKET NO. 2004-295

                              MARCH TERM, 2005

  John Mark Brigham	                }	 APPEALED FROM:
                                        }
                                        }
       v.	                        }	 Washington Superior Court
                                        }	
  	                                }
  State of Vermont, David Larsen,	}	 DOCKET NO. 299-4-03 Wncv
  Acting Commissioner of Education and 	}
  The Vermont Board of Education	}
                                                 Trial Judge:  Alan W. Cook

       	In the above-entitled cause, the Clerk will enter:

       ¶  1.  Plaintiffs, a group of public-school students and a group of
  taxpayers, appeal a superior court decision dismissing their complaint
  pursuant to Vermont Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for failure to state a
  claim upon which relief can be granted.  Plaintiff students contend that
  Act 60 fails to protect their right to an equal educational opportunity
  under the Vermont Constitution.  Plaintiff taxpayers assert that Act 60's
  method of taxation to fund education violates their rights under the
  Vermont Constitution because it imposes a disproportionate burden upon the
  taxpayers in their towns compared to similarly situated taxpayers in other
  towns.  The superior court dismissed both claims on grounds of judicial
  self-restraint.  We reverse the superior court's decision, and remand for
  further proceedings.
        
       ¶  2.  Plaintiff students are four children who attend Whitingham
  School, Wilmington Middle High School, and Chester-Andover Elementary
  School.  They argue that the State has failed to provide them with a
  substantially equal educational opportunity in violation of Chapter I,
  Article 7 (FN1)  and Chapter II, § 68 (FN2) of the Vermont Constitution,
  and seek an injunction and declaration that Act 60 is unconstitutional. 
  They argue that the Equal Educational Opportunity Act of 1997 (Act 60),
  does not remedy the inequality of educational opportunity that we
  identified in Brigham v. State.  166 Vt. 246, 268,