Dive Brief:
- Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen is appealing Judge Thomas Moukawsher’s landmark education ruling to the state’s supreme court, arguing a mandate to overhaul Connecticut’s education system should be under the purview of the executive and legislative branches of government.
- The Associated Press reports Jepsen said the court decision would take too much power away from the governor and legislature, putting it in the hands of a single, unelected judge, and while he is fighting the decision, he urged lawmakers to address the challenges brought up in the lawsuit.
- For his part, Gov. Dannel Malloy said the legislature doesn’t need to wait for a resolution to the case to start its work, calling on lawmakers to take this opportunity to start a dialogue about school funding rather than stop one.
Dive Insight:
The Connecticut judge ordered a near-complete overhaul of the state’s education system, giving state officials six months to come up with a plan that ensures students are actually meeting certain standards before going from middle to high school and then earning their diplomas, that teachers and administrators are being rated effectively, and that schools are being funded equitably. The ruling has sent waves through the education community for its scope. Already an 11-year-old case, the appeal will ensure the fight is not over.
Elsewhere in the U.S., the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is hearing arguments about school funding. Like the Connecticut attorney general, attorneys for the state of Pennsylvania argue the judiciary should have no role in school funding decisions, which they say are under the jurisdiction of the governor and legislature. The supreme court decision, at this point, will only decide whether it will hear the case.