BOSTON (AP) — A lawsuit being filed against Massachusetts officials says the state’s education funding system shortchanges low-income school districts.
Advocates planned to announce the lawsuit at the Statehouse on Thursday on behalf of more than a dozen parents around the state.
The plaintiffs argue that the current formula used by the state to distribute education money to school districts violates the civil rights of children in underfunded communities.
The lawsuit comes amid behind-the-scenes efforts on Beacon Hill to revamp the 1993 formula which many critics view as outdated and responsible for a widening gap in academic achievement between students from wealthier communities and their less-advantaged urban counterparts.
Plans to overhaul the spending formula have been introduced by Democratic lawmakers and Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, but no consensus has been reached.