NC Policy Watch: “The judge overseeing the long running Leandro school funding lawsuit has given attorneys in the case until March 15 to file briefs on proposed funding amounts before deciding next steps in the case.
Superior Court Judge James Ammons of Cumberland County was appointed to the nearly three-decades old case by Chief Justice Paul Newby in December. A hearing has been scheduled for March 17 to discuss how much money must be transferred to pay for year three of a comprehensive school improvement plan.
At Friday’s hearing, Ammons mostly steered away from matters involving the case that are before other courts. The main issues before his court, he said, are the amount of money due schools, the transfer of that money and possible interventions.
“I have no preconceived opinions, no agenda other than to follow the mandates of the appellate bench, give all parties a fair opportunity to be heard and do my best to render appropriate rulings based on the law and the evidence before me,” Ammons said.
The judge asked attorneys for the plaintiff and defendants to calculate dollar amounts they believe are required to fund the third year of a school improvement plan that was approved by a previous trial judge.
Scott Bazyle, an attorney representing the Hoke County plaintiffs in the Leandro lawsuit, placed the amount at $677.8 million. More than $500 million would go to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and the rest to N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and the UNC System, Bazyle said.”