A case study investigating the funding of public education K-12 in urban versus rural school systems in Tennessee

In 1988, a group calling themselves the Tennessee Small School Systems (TSSS) challenged Tennessee's K-12 public school funding formula. This case, officially known as Tennessee Small School Systems v. McWherter, has also been called the rural versus urban school systems lawsuit because it effectively pitted the smaller, less affluent, mostly rural school systems of the state against the larger, wealthier, mostly urban systems. At stake were the dollars expended each year for K-12 students in public schools throughout Tennessee. This study investigated several factors related to this lawsuit. A review of the literature and related cases revealed information about the climate leading up and contributing to the filing of the suit. In addition, K-12 public school finance data and personal interviews conducted with major figures in the case provided details about the changes implemented in Tennessee. Specifically, per pupil expenditures and other categories were utilized to compare the dollars provided for public education in selected rural counties with the dollars provided in certain urban counties since the implementation of the Basic Education Plan (BEP). Observations were made and conclusions drawn about the future of K-12 public school financing in Tennessee. Final recommendations include suggestions for addressing the continuing inequities between less affluent counties and wealthier counties.