CALIFORNIA SCHOOL FINANCE LITIGATION
Robles-Wong v. California
• Robles-Wong v. California asks the State of California to fulfill its constitutional
obligation to support our public schools and students. This historic lawsuit was
brought forth by a broad coalition of students, parents, school districts and educational
• Education is a fundamental right of every child in California. California’s Constitution
requires a school system that prepares students to become informed citizens and
productive members of society.
• This lawsuit declares that California’s unsound, unstable and insufficient school
finance system is neither aligned with required educational programs nor with student
needs. The amount of funding provided to education is not enough to deliver the
required programs to all students so that they meet the State’s educational goals, and
the funding system causes unequal learning opportunities.
• California has set clear requirements for what schools are expected to teach and what
students are expected to learn. The State has failed in its obligation to provide the
resources necessary for students to meet the required standards.
• The State’s failure to support the required educational program adversely affects all
students. Academic achievement measures show California’s broken school finance
system denies students the opportunity to become proficient in the State’s academic
• This lawsuit seeks to remedy the broken school finance system by (1) declaring that it
is unconstitutional and (2) requiring state lawmakers to uphold their constitutional
duty to design and implement a school finance system that provides all students equal
access to the required educational program.