Judge rules against Lusher and Lake Forest on differentiated school funding
A federal judge has ruled against Lusher and Lake Forest and their attempt to halt changes to the differentiated funding formula. In the opinion of Judge Jane Triche Milazzo:
- The schools would not experience irreparable harm if the new formula was implemented.
- Changing the formula did not violate the schools’ charter contracts.
The judge declined to rule on whether the funding formula had been adopted legally, saying state courts should consider the matter first.
Last spring, OPSB and RSD worked together to develop a unified per-student funding formula, an important stage in returning RSD schools to local control. The unified formula emphasizes students with disabilities, with a small extra amount for each gifted student. Lusher and Lake Forest, with their large gifted populations and small number of students with disabilities, will receive less money than they would have under the old formula.
The schools say they are considering their options at this time.