ST. LOUIS, MO – Yesterday, Judge Autrey of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri issued a positive ruling in favor of the state and public charter school parents. The case, filed by St. Louis Public Schools against the State of Missouri, argued that sales tax revenue should not be shared with public charter schools, even though they are public schools and have been recipients of this revenue for several years. Yesterday, Judge Autrey ruled that the school district could not come to federal court with this complaint, striking down their motion.
National Alliance Senior Director of Legal Affairs Rob Reed released the following statement:
“This ruling is an important step in ensuring all of Missouri’s public-school students have access to the resources they are entitled to. We applaud Judge Autrey’s decision and hope St. Louis Public Schools will end this litigation.”
Missouri Charter Public School Association Executive Director Douglas P. Thaman, Ed.D, released the following statement:
“We are glad the Judge dismissed the St. Louis School District’s lawsuit against the State of Missouri. Missouri has long-recognized that all publicly-educated students are entitled to equitable resources. We hope this ruling ends the litigation and we can all return to the business of education rather than litigation.”
About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter sector. For more information, please visit www.publiccharters.org.
About the National Charter School Legal Action Fund
The Charter School Legal Action Fund (CSLAF) launched in November 2016 to support select public charter school cases with national impact. Learn more about the CSLAF and its work here.
