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Judge will consider whether N.C. should turn over $1.7B in public school funding

KERI BROWN/WFDD

A North Carolina judge is considering whether to order the state to hand over almost $2 billion in public school funding. 

The Leandro school funding court battle dates back to 1994 when five low-wealth districts filed a lawsuit against the state requesting more funding for equal education in public schools.  Now the plaintiffs have asked State Superior Court Judge David Lee to order state officials to relinquish $1.7 billion over the next two years as part of a new education budget plan.

The News & Observer reports that Lee has scheduled a court hearing to consider the proposal on Wednesday. 

State GOP officials released a statement saying an order by Lee to transfer the funds would be unconstitutional, and that any appropriation would need legislative approval. They are also questioning ties between Governor Roy Cooper's administration and a consulting firm hired to recommend a spending plan.

The plaintiffs have argued that the state Constitution allows for judicial action if legislative branches fail to carry out their constitutional obligation. 

In September, Judge Lee told lawmakers he would intervene if a funding proposal was not submitted by mid-October.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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