sp-7075 School Funding Formula
The State’s local school funding formula requires a local government to
make a contribution to fund its local school district. The superior court held that this
required local contribution is an unconstitutional dedication of a “state tax or license.”
But the minutes of the constitutional convention and the historical context of those
proceedings suggest that the delegates intended that local communities and the State
would share responsibility for their local schools. And those proceedings also indicate
that the delegates did not intend for state-local cooperative programs like the school
funding formula to be included in the term “state tax or license.” These factors
distinguish this case from previous cases.