BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Eleven Alabama public charter schools are asking a Montgomery circuit judge to block the state superintendent of education from finalizing annual countywide property tax distributions to other public schools until the court decides whether charter schools are entitled to a share of those funds.
Montgomery Circuit Judge Monet Gaines heard arguments earlier this week on the schools’ request for a temporary restraining order and gave both sides three days to submit a proposed order. She did not indicate when she may issue a ruling.
The lawsuit, filed Sept. 5, seeks to direct Alabama Superintendent Eric Mackey to include charter schools in his instructions to county revenue commissioners for how countywide property taxes should be distributed among public school districts. Those distributions are made at the county level and can begin as early as the start of the fiscal year, Oct. 1…