U.S. | Mon May 1, 2017 | 7:16pm EDT

School districts, education groups sue Arizona over funding

By David Schwartz | PHOENIX

Lawmakers have violated the Arizona constitution by failing to adequately fund school facilities and repairs, according to a lawsuit filed against the state on Monday by school districts and education groups.

The lawsuit claims that the Arizona legislature has short-changed school districts by several billion dollars since 2009 despite court rulings mandating that the state pay for facility construction and maintenance.

In a joint statement, the coalition of school districts, educational organizations and parents said the legislature has long been responsible for “turning its back on public school districts."

“State leaders have ignored this obligation far too long,” the group said. “They have lost this fight once, and it is time to step up and adequately fund public schools according to the law.”

The lawsuit is the latest step in a long-running legal battle between educators and the state over capital items. Arizona was sued in 1991 over capital funding for its schools, and the state Supreme Court ruled three years later that the state was required to provide funding for facilities in all school districts.

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