Campaign for Fiscal Equity, Inc., Appellants v. State of New York, Respondents

Summary

The New York Court of Appeals held that the trial court’s definition of a sound basic education was correct and that the State violated the Education Article by failing to provide New York City schoolchildren the opportunity for such an education; it dismissed the plaintiffs’ Title VI claim. The Court affirmed the dismissal of the Title VI claim, reversed the Appellate Division’s contrary findings, and remanded for the trial court to determine the actual cost of a sound basic education in New York City and to ensure adequate funding, with a deadline of July 30, 2004. The dissent argued that the majority overstepped its constitutional role, while the concurrence endorsed a statewide remedy based on the Regents Learning Standards.