History of Leandro, Definition of a Sound Basic Education, Overview of the Fourth Ruling, Excerpt from Judge Manning’s 4th Ruling, Judge Manning’s Orders & Decrees, State Reveals Arguments on Appeal, A Win for All of North Carolina’s Children, Summary of the Supreme Court Leandro Decision, Judge Manning Focuses on Fashioning a Remedy, Test Scores, Formulas, & Leandro

The History of Leandro

In May 1994, parents, school boards and students from five low-wealth counties [ Cumberland, Halifax, Hoke, Robeson and Vance) filed a lawsuit naming the State Board of Education and the State of North Carolina as defendants. The low-wealth counties said that the State did not provide enough money for them to provide their children with a quality education. [The lawsuit is commonly known as Leandro, after a named plaintiff in the case.]

Six urban school districts also asked to be parties to the Leandro lawsuit, stating that the state funding formula did not provide them with sufficient money to educate their at-risk students and students for whom English is not their first language. [ Asheville City, Buncombe County, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Durham County, Wake County, and Winston-Salem-Forsyth]

The State’s response to the lawsuit was to dispute whether or not the counties had any legal basis to bring the lawsuit before the courts. Litigation of this issue began and eventually the matter was heard by the North Carolina Supreme Court. In 1997, the Supreme Court breathed new life in the case by finding that our state constitution guarantees “every child of this state an opportunity to receive a sound basic education in our public schools.” The case was sent back to Superior Court with instructions for the lower court to assess whether or not the State had met its constitutional obligation to provide an equal opportunity for a sound basic education.

In September 1999, Superior Court Judge Howard Manning began hearing evidence in the case. In April 2002, Judge Manning issued his fourth memorandum of law in the case. Prior to the April 2002 ruling, the court issued three prior opinions that concluded among other things that:

• The minimum academic performance level under Leandro is Level III or above.

• Every school in North Carolina is capable of having 90% of its students at Level III or above.
• At-risk students are entitled to pre-kindergarten programs to provide them with the educational resources necessary to obtain a sound basic education.
• Students who drop out of school are not receiving a sound basic education.

The fourth decision specifically incorporates Judge Manning’s three prior decisions. This means that the Judge’s rulings in his previous three Memorandums of Decision are a part of his fourth ruling.

NOTE: All analysis and summaries of Leandro are written by Sheria Reid.