Judge Rules State Must Close Gap in Primary Education

Education officials in North Carolina are not sure how a recent court ruling mandating a sound education for the state's at-risk students will affect them, but they hope it will bring additional funding.

Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning ruled Thursday that the state of North Carolina has neglected its constitutional obligation to educate all children in the state.

Manning ordered state officials to remedy the situation and report their progress on implementing a correctional plan every 90 days. This is the fourth ruling in a four-pronged lawsuit evaluating the state's compliance with the North Carolina Constitution regarding support for the public school system. Prior rulings have involved pre-kindergarten programs for poor students. State officials have not decided whether to appeal the verdict.

Kay Williams, communications director for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, said the ruling could have a significant effect on the state's role in the public school system.

"It could have a lot of implications on the governance of school -- getting the state more actively involved," she said.

Williams said the ruling falls short because it does not fully address the issue of increased funding. "It leaves open the question of funding and resources," she said. "We believe more resources are needed because the needs of students are changing."

Officials with local school districts had similar concerns.

Kathy Osborne, associate superintendent of Orange County Schools, said it is too early to tell what implications the ruling will have for the system.

"It's a tight budget year, and if Judge Manning's rulings can offer flexibility in this matter, then it can't be doing anything but good," she said.

Jane-Waring Wheeler, public information officer for Franklin County schools, said the lawsuit is imperative because the county has dilemmas about funding a quality education. "We live in a county that can't afford to give us money, so our students are not receiving adequate resources."

Wheeler said Manning's ruling could affect the county, depending on what level of funding the state will provide. "First and foremost, it might not help us at all," she said. "We've already been focusing on closing our achievement gap. We have been exerting extraordinary efforts regardless of Judge Manning's ruling. But we may get more money."

Wheeler said educators have been struggling to provide a quality education and Manning's decision does not change their goals. "People in the trenches are not sitting there twiddling their thumbs, waiting for a judge to tell them to use their resources," she said. "Educators everywhere are very focused on doing what they're out to do."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.