Leandro court hearing could have major impact on NC schools. Here’s how to watch it.
The North Carolina Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday on whether it should order the transfer of $785 million from the state treasury to fund the Leandro education plan.
The court hearing could have major implications for the future of public education in North Carolina. Public school supporters say ordering the funding would help provide students with access to high quality teachers and principals.
But Republican legislative leaders say that ordering the funding would be a case of judicial overreach and a violation of the state Constitution’s separation of powers.
The long-running Leandro school funding lawsuit was initially filed in 1994 by low-wealth school districts to get more state funding.
Over the years, the state Supreme Court has ruled that the state Constitution guarantees every child “an opportunity to receive a sound basic education” and that the state was failing to meet that obligation.
The court’s 4-3 Democratic majority will hear arguments about whether to reinstate a trial judge’s order to require the state to turn over the money to fund a plan developed by an education consultant. The plan would pay for things such as higher teacher salaries, more students in the NC Pre-K program and additional funding for low-wealth districts.
How to watch court hearing
Wednesday’s court hearing will start at 9:30 a.m.
The court hearing at the N.C. Justice Building on 2 East Morgan St. in Raleigh is open to the public. But only 30 seats will be available in the courtroom for the general public. They’ll be given first-come, first served.
The hearing will be streamed live at youtube.com/channel/UCWo6zIpwtve9U-ynsAS7GfQ on the N.C. Supreme Court’s YouTube channel.
This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 2:27 PM.
