Leandro case decision not expected to affect Burke schools

Although the North Carolina Supreme Court reversed the 2022 decision in the three-decade-old Leandro case against the state on April 2, the effects aren’t expected to reach Burke County.

However, had the court upheld the previous decision, funds could have eventually been slated for Burke County Public Schools (BCPS), marking a potential lost opportunity for state education as a whole.

The case focused on whether the state fulfilled its constitutional obligation to provide adequate education for all students, particularly in districts affected by lower funding.

The court ruled 4-3, limiting the judicial branch’s authority to determine how legislators allocate spending on education.

According to Burke County Public Schools Finance Officer Keith Lawson, the potential for funds was never part of the district’s budget, and is not expected to affect its finances.

“Although we are a low-wealth county, this decision has no impact on us financially,” Lawson said. “An increase in funding due to Leandro would certainly have been beneficial, but we never anticipated that a ruling by the courts would determine legislative funding.”

With declining enrollment and Burke’s reclassification as a Tier 1 low-income county, additional state support would provide much-needed breathing room for cost projections across the board.

Since the court dismissed the Leandro case with prejudice, the same parties cannot bring the same case against the state again. However, future plaintiffs can bring similar cases with more specificity, tighter scopes, and, as mentioned by Justice Richard Dietz in his dissent, include more school voices.