Court Opinion

ID: 9680498
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 07:32:36.056772+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:28.832759
License: Public Domain

Richard B. Adkisson, Chief Justice, dissenting. The majority point to the fact that there is a great disparity in property wealth among the districts as being part of the problem with our school financing, but it is undisputed that Amendment 40 contemplates that school financing will be on a local level. The implication of the majority opinion is that our law, Ark. Stat. Ann. § 80-401 (Repl. 1980) and following, which allows the incorporation of certain property rich school districts to the exclusion of other property poor districts is unconstitutional. Although at this time there may be a disparity in wealth among districts, it is not known to what extent that disparity will exist after the state has completed the court mandated reassessment as per Public Service Commission v. Pulaski County Equalization Board, 266 Ark. 64, 582 S.W.2d 942 (1979). Once reassessment is complete, the disparity may not be so great as the majority indicates. For that reason, I would not make a premature decision of such magnitude until all the facts necessary to the decision are established. Moreover, it is worth noting that of the thirteen courts that have reviewed state school financing systems similar to ours, only four have found such systems to be unconstitutional. Washakie Co. School Dist. No. One v. Herschler, 606 P.2d 310 (Wyo. 1980); Serrano v. Priest, 135 Cal. Rptr. 345, 557 P.2d 929 (1977); Horton v. Meskill, 172 Conn. 615, 376 A.2d 359 (1977); Milliken v. Green, 389 Mich. 1, 203 N.W.2d 457 (1972). The weight of authority clearly points toward upholding our system. San Antonio Independent Sch. Dist. v. Rodriquez, 411 U.S. 1, 93 S. Ct. 1278, 36 L.Ed.2d 16, reh’g denied, 411 U.S. 959, 93 S. Ct. 1919, 36 L.Ed.2d 418 (1973); Lujan v. Colorado State Bd. of Educ., 649 P.2d 1005 (Colo. 1982); Bd. of Educ. of City Sch. Dist., etc. v. Walter, 58 Ohio St.2d 368, 390 N.E.2d 813 (1979); McDaniel v. Thomas, 248 Ga. 632, 285 S.E.2d 156 (1981); Olsen v. State, 276 Or. 9, 554 P.2d 139 (1976); Thompson v. Engelking, 96 Idaho 793, 537 P.2d 635 (1975); Northshore Sch. Dist. No. 417 v. Kinnear, 84 Wash.2d 685, 530 P.2d 178 (1974); Shofstall v. Hollins, 110 Ariz. 88, 515 P.2d 590 (1973).