Arkansas Supreme Court ends oversight of schools

The Arkansas Supreme Court today ended its control over state public schools with a 4-3 decision, holding that the state legislature's reforms were sufficient to correct constitional violations in the school system. The dissenting justices advocated maintaining control over the schools to ensure the success of legislative reforms. The court assumed oversight of the schools in 1992 based on a suit brought by Lake View school district, a poor, heavily minority district that alleged unequal funding of schools by the state. [more]