NC Supreme Court Ends School Funding Battle

0:00North Carolina Supreme Court just dropped a 4-3 bomb, tossing out a 30-year battle over school funding. Republican justices led the charge, saying judges can't force the legislature to spend cash on fixing education gaps. This keeps the power squarely with lawmakers to decide budgets, not the bench. The fight kicked off back in 1994 when poor district sued, claiming the state constitution demands a sound basic education for every. Kim earlier rulings agreed the state was falling short, and in 2022 a Democratic court majority led a judge order money for teacher pay, pre-K and special needs. Thursday's decision wipes that slay clean. Democrats are fired up, with Governor Josh Stein calling it a dodge of precedent that robbs kids of their rights. Educators echo that, saying world students have waited decades for action. Republicans cheer it as shutting down activist judges trying to run policy. A trial judge had pegged $678 million owed for the first two years of a big fix it plan,

1:03but now that's off the table. The state budgets already late, and with 40 percent going to K through 12, lawmakers hold all the cards. As the general assembly gears up to reconvene this month, eyes are on the next-spending blueprint. The core issue, delivering that promised education, still hangs in the balance for North Carolina's children. Local news, powered by AI. This is Canada News Today, I'm Corey, with the story.