Alaska settles lawsuit over school finance equity

From The Anchorage Daily News: The state of Alaska has agreed to settle a 14-year-old lawsuit that sought to correct purported inequities in funding for rural public schools. The agreement calls for the governor to seek legislative approval for funding five high-priority school construction projects in rural Alaska over the next four years. Estimates have put the cost of the projects, which include school renovations and replacements, at nearly $146 million. Legislation passed last year creates a more equitable formula for funding construction of urban and rural schools, addressing another concern in the lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed in 1997, contended that rural schools were crowded and in disrepair.