Justice Douglas also took the opportunity to congratulate Judge Lewis for his ruling and commended him for withholding public comment despite receiving substantial criticism for some lawyers. Justice Moyer added that the quality of the educational program offered by a school district is as it should be, determined by a district's residents through local control of the district. But inherent in local control must be local responsibility, both on the part of voters, who influence the amount of local funding of local schools, and of local school boards and administrators, who allocate available funds. Where local taxpayers refused, or are unable, to increase their property taxes, school boards necessarily are called upon to make hard choices to reduce costs. Justice Moyer also asserted that the majority's decision limits the General Assembly's ability to fashion a remedy, particularly with its emphasis on what the majority perceives as the destructive effects of relying on the property tax as the principal source of local school funding.
Today is the day in which history was made.
This decision provides the opportunity for the current political leadership to leave a legacy of quality education. Mr. Pittner noted that there exists extremely limited avenues through which the state could appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, all of which rest solely on technical matters. He further added that it is his interpretation that the remedy must be in place within one year, as the court's 12-month stay was crafted to give the General Assembly time to implement and not just simply devise a system. Mr. Phillis rejected arguments that the decision may force a tax increase to cover costs of making the system more equitable, noting that the state already has enough funding to correct the situation. We anticipate that these elected officials will rise to the occasion.