Will the Supreme Court decision impact the recapture system?
The Supreme Court did not rule that recapture is unconstitutional. To the contrary, the justices pointed to evidence to show how recapture caused the school finance system to be more efficient (that is, equitable) than it previously was. Under the current system, the 100 districts with the most property wealth send some revenue to the state, while more than 900 districts receive additional money.
However, according to the Supreme Court, there is still a 40 percent difference between the richest and the poorest districts. If anything, more recapture is needed, not less.
Remember, the benefits of recapture are not limited to “poor districts.” Nearly 90 percent of districts receive money from recapture. These include many average wealth rural and suburban school systems. If recapture is eliminated, everyone in these 900 communities will pay higher taxes to make up any cuts in recapture money.
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