Plaintiffs, 22 school districts, filed complaint against State of Illinois and Governor Pritzker, arguing that they are being held accountable for Learning Standards for assessment of students, including the PARCC examination for high school students, without adequate funding to meet the Standards. Court properly dismissed State of Illinois on grounds of sovereign immunity. Court is bound to follow precedent of Illinois Supreme Court, which has determined that State’s system of funding public education is rationally related to the legitimate State goal of promoting local control. Thus, circuit court properly dismissed claims of violation of the equal protection clause based on disparities in educational funding. Illinois Supreme Court has also held that determination of whether State was fulfilling its duty of providing for a quality education is outside the judicial function. Thus, circuit court properly dismissed count alleging violation of the qualify education clause. (WELCH, concurring; WHARTON, concurring in part and dissenting in part.)
Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
School Law