This is the first in a series of working papers on ways people working for the disadvantaged might use evidence about within-district spending inequalities. It examines legal bases for complaints against unequal spending, including the education and equal protection clauses of state constitutions and, in some cases, the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
This paper suggests that such litigation is possible, but it does not provide detailed tactical guidance to possible plaintiffs. The two attorneys who drafted it, Kelly Warner-King and Veronica Smith-Casem, hoped that the legal arguments would themselves be enough to inspire district action.