By Adam Allington, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – A judge has upheld Missouri's school funding method, rejecting claims by some schools that it distributes money unfairly and inadequately.
The case, brought by half of Missouri's public school districts, alleged that it is a violation of the Missouri State Constitution for poorer districts to receive less funding then richer ones.
Tyler Laney is vice chairman of the Committee for Educational Equality, which represented the schools.
"The gut response to that is that people made the choice to live there," Laney said. "The kids don't have the wherewithal to give 100,000 to a political campaign to direct policy to the needs that they possess."
Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan ruled that the constitution provides no guarantee of absolute equality in the dollars spent or in the facilities available from one school district to another.