OFFI001. “Officials say poor school funding on right track.” Associated Press state & local wire Friday, April 2, 2004. 440 words.

Publication type: Newswire release

Electronic access: Full text available in LEXIS-NEXIS Academic

North Carolina Superior Court judge Howard Manning released a letter this week informing the parties in the ten-year-old Leandro lawsuit that the five school systems suing North Carolina need more help. Judge Manning presides over the suit, which includes Hoke, Cumberland, and Robeson Counties. The lawsuit is now awaiting a ruling from the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Following a 90-minute meeting between lawyers and the State Board of Education, the Board Chairperson, Howard Lee, stated that Manning’s letter affirmed the actions the Board has already been taking. One such action is a request to the North Carolina General Assembly for $22 million in the next fiscal year’s budget, to be placed in a fund for schools in areas with high poverty rates and low student achievement. A lawyer for the schools systems involved in the suit remarked that earlier estimates placed the needs of the five school systems at $100 million to $400 million.

Additional Subjects: School funding | Leandro suit

This annotation was written on June 30, 2004.