At the end of last month, the Court of Appeals addressed once again the issue of adequate state funding for public education. In the companion cases of Aristy-Farer v. State of New York and New Yorkers for Students’ Educational Rights v. State of New York, the Court of Appeals dismissed plaintiffs’ statewide challenges to the system by which public education is funded in New York, but permitted certain claims to proceed solely to the extent that they relate to circumstances in Syracuse and New York City. This represents the latest round in a series of efforts dating at least as far back as the 1980s by education advocates seeking increased funding for public education in New York.
The New Yorkers for Students’ Educational Rights (NYSER) action was brought by individual parents in a number of school districts and was led by the educational advocacy group NYSER. The Aristy-Farer action was brought by parents of New York City schoolchildren. Both actions were brought against the state of New York, the governor, the Board of Regents and others, and alleged that the state had failed to provide students with a sound basic education as required by the state Constitution’s Education Article.
