The San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez case challenged an educational structure dependent on local property taxes. The Supreme Court ruled such a financing method constitutional. Since Mississippi’s financing system also was heavily dependent on local property taxes, this report compared this state’s system to San Antonio’s public school financing system to see if it could have been considered discriminatory.
The criteria by which the Court evaluated the Texas public school system were isolated and applied to the Mississippi public school system. Disparities in education in Mississippi’s public schools were comparable to those in other states and were fewer than those of the San Antonio public schools. Since the disparities in the San Antonio schools were not ruled discriminatory, it would seem that on these grounds, discrimination would not exist.
For a paper copy of this report, contact PEER by telephone at 601-359-1226 or by e-mail at reports@peer.ms.gov.