Judge rules Mo. meeting school spending requirement

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A state judge has ruled that Missouri is exceeding its constitutional requirement for public school spending.

Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan has dismissed a lawsuit brought by public schools claiming Missouri fails to provide enough money to schools and distributes that money unfairly.

Callahan had rejected most of the schools' arguments in late August.

Now he has rejected their lone lingering claim that the state failed to meet a constitutional requirement that 25 percent of state revenues go to public schools.

The judge said the state is meeting that mark under every reasonable calculation method that can be used.

The suing schools are expected to appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court.