For the first time in the long history of the Leandro
lawsuit, the State has been ordered to provide additional funding. This
funding is necessary
to carry out specific recommendations made by the State to provide
all students in Hoke County Schools with the equal opportunity to a sound,
basic education.
This order comes as a part of the trial court's oversight in the Leandro case (or Hoke Co. Bd. of Educ. v. State) of the State's efforts to address constitutional violations identified by the court. In August, 2002, the court had required the State to assess the needs of Hoke County Schools since it was one of the plaintiff school districts in the case and, as one of the poorest districts in the state, had been a focal point for evidence during the trial.
The State, through the Department of Public Instruction, had sent a team to work with Hoke County Schools. The State submitted status reports to the court and Hoke County Schools had the opportunity to respond to the team's findings.
In a letter to State Superintendent Mike Ward and State Board Chairman Howard Lee, dated March 27, 2004, Judge Howard E. Manning, Jr. esponded to the latest report from the State. For more details use the following links to access the brief and letter on the NCASA website:
http://www.ncasa.net/associations/2410/files/Leandroupdate.doc
http://www.ncasa.net/associations/2410/files/judgeMANNING.pdf