Law Suit Filed Against Idaho Education Grows

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A lawsuit over Idaho's system of funding public schools is growing, with the former school superintendent who is pressing the case reviving the claims made in another lawsuit that plodded through Idaho's courts for 15 years. Russell Joki, a former Nampa Schools Superintendent, sued the state earlier this month in Ada County's 4th District Court, contending that student fees for things like chemistry and art supplies violate Idaho's constitutional promise of a free public education. Now he's adding a second cause of action to the lawsuit, contending that Idaho lawmakers have ignored an Idaho Supreme Court ruling from 2005 that found Idaho's school funding system didn't pass constitutional muster. The state's response to the amended lawsuit will be likely filed the first half of November.