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Legislative counsel reviews Brigham decision: state must ensure substantial equality of educational opportunity, but court left methods to legislature
Summary
John Gray of the Office of Legislative Council summarized the 1997 Brigham decision for the joint Ways and Means and Finance committees, saying the Vermont Supreme Court requires the state to ensure substantial equality of educational opportunity but did not prescribe a single funding method.
John Gray of the Office of Legislative Council told the joint House Ways and Means and Senate Finance hearing that the 1997 Brigham decision remains the legal foundation for much of Vermont’s education finance policy.
Gray summarized the court’s finding that the prior ‘‘foundation plan’’ — which relied heavily on local property taxes — produced wide disparities in revenues available to local school districts and therefore ‘‘deprive[d] children of an equal educational opportunity’’ under the Vermont Constitution. He said the court held that the state must ‘‘ensure substantial equality of educational opportunity throughout Vermont,’’ but it did not dictate the specific funding…
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