TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Backers of a long-running lawsuit about whether Florida has failed to meet its constitutional duty of providing a high-quality system of public schools are taking the battle to the state Supreme Court.
Plaintiffs in the case, led by the group Citizens for Strong Schools, filed a notice Friday indicating they will ask the Supreme Court to review a December ruling by the 1st District Court of Appeal that sided with the state.
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The notice, as is common, does not detail the plaintiff’s arguments.
The lawsuit is rooted in a 1998 constitutional amendment that says it is a "paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education of all children residing within its borders."
The amendment fleshed that out, in part, by saying adequate provision will be made for a "uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system" of public schools.
Citizens for Strong Schools and its supporters argued in lower courts that Florida has not complied and that courts should require the state to take steps to carry out the constitutional amendment.
But the 1st District Court of Appeal, upholding a decision by a Leon County circuit judge, said it’s not the role of judges to determine education policy.
“Furthermore, the strict separation of powers embedded in Florida's organic law requires judicial deference to the legislative and executive branches to adopt and execute educational policies those branches deem necessary and appropriate to enable students to obtain a `high quality' education, as directed by the Florida Constitution,” the appeals-court ruling said.