GOP senators release long-awaited plan to fix how state pays for schools
GOP state senators want to implement a new statewide property tax to comply with a court order to fully fund public schools, while taking away school districts ability to approve local levies to pay for basic education.
The plan released Friday by Senate Republican leaders aims to meet the states obligations under the McCleary case, in which the state Supreme Court ruled five years ago that the state was failing to meet its constitutional duty to fully fund public schools.
The state is in contempt of court and being fined $100,000 a day over the Legislatures failure to come up with a plan to fix school-funding problems by 2018.
Complying with the courts order means the state has to take on the full cost of paying teachers and other school employees, which the state Supreme Court has said is a state responsibility.
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