Chronology of education funding decisions

Dates in school funding court cases:

-- 1991 -- Claremont and four towns sue over the state's reliance on local property taxes to pay for schools.

-- 1993 -- State Supreme Court says every child is entitled to an adequate education, adequately funded.

-- 1996 -- Superior Court judge upholds state's reliance on local property taxes for most school funding.

-- 1997 -- Supreme Court rules the system unconstitutional to poor towns.

-- 1999 -- State property tax, with uniform rate statewide, instituted to pay for schools.

-- 2001 -- Superior Court judge throws out the tax based on unreliable assessments; Supreme Court reverses the decision, but orders state to fix the problems.

-- 2002 -- Supreme Court says schools must be held accountable for providing an adequate education.

-- 2001-2004 -- Legislature repeatedly revises aid system. Court battles continue over claims that system is underfunded and fails to define or determine cost of constitutionally required "adequate education." Property-wealthy "donor towns" fight being required to subsidize schools in property-poor towns.

-- 2005 -- Legislature enacts new "targeted aid" system that all but eliminates "donor towns." Aid targeted mainly to towns with weakest tax bases, but also based on numbers of poor and disabled students and those still learning English.

-- March 2006 -- Superior Court judge rules system unconstitutional.

-- June 22, 2006 -- State Supreme Court hears arguments in latest case.