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Supporters urge constitutional right to an adequate education; opponents warn of judicial budget control
Summary
Witnesses and advocates testified in favor of House Resolution 5459, a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee an adequate education and permit judicial enforcement; some legislators warned the clause could cede budget authority to courts in future lawsuits.
Sponsor (name not specified in the transcript) introduced House Resolution 5459, a proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee Rhode Island residents an "adequate, equitable, and meaningful" education with judicial enforcement.
Tim Duffy, executive director of the Rhode Island Association of School Committees, testified the association has promoted a constitutional amendment for roughly two decades and argued that state courts' current reliance on federal precedent prevents judges from providing remedies. "In a 5-4 ruling, they said that, it wasn't a federal right," Duffy said, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision in San Antonio v. Rodriguez.…
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