A two-week trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 10 in Pulaski County Circuit Court under Judge Chris Piazza in the school finance lawsuit filed by Deer/ Mount Judea School District against the state.
A hearing on the motion by the Alma, Fort Smith, Greenwood and Van Buren school districts to intervene in the lawsuit is set for June 3 in the circuit court, according to a notice from the court.
Deer/Mount Judea sued the state in December 2010, alleging that the funding system for education is unconstitutional. The district has an enrollment of about 360 students who live in a mountainous area spanning 400 square miles in Newton County.
A judge in Pulaski County Circuit Court had dismissed the case, saying the issues raised were decided in a previous school-finance case. Although the Arkansas Supreme Court agreed on some points with the lower court, the high court found some errors and in October sent the case back to the Circuit Court.
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has asked Piazza to dismiss the case.
Attorneys for the Deer/ Mount Judea School District on Monday amended the complaint filed within the framework of what the Supreme Court ruling said would be allowed for further consideration in Circuit Court, including the district’s claims about funding for facilities.
Arkansas, Pages 10 on 04/01/2014