The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has broken decades of precedent by not dismissing a lawsuit by the William Penn School District and others that asks courts to remedy the wide funding disparities among school districts, writes Maddie Hanna for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The school-funding system, which relies heavily on property taxes, has long drawn the ire of critics, as Pennsylvania has some of the widest spending gaps in America between low- and high-poverty districts.

A trial court could now hear arguments in the case, which contends that the state’s school-funding system violates the state constitution’s guarantee of a “thorough and efficient system” of education, and its equal-protection provision.

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Commonwealth Court had dismissed the suit, which lawyers for the plaintiffs said they would now seek to expedite.

“We are moving ahead,” said William Penn School District superintendent Jane Harbert. “I have to tell you, it just brings tears to my eyes that we’re allowed to go further with this. We’re fighting a battle not just for William Penn but for the whole state of Pennsylvania.”

Steve Miskin, spokesman for the House Republican Caucus, commented harshly on the ruling.

“Besides just ignoring the hard work and fair outcome of the Basic Education Funding Formula Commission, and besides ignoring the clear delineation of the separation of powers, this activist court just threw out more than 150 years of jurisprudence,” he said.

“This decision should be very alarming for all Pennsylvania taxpayers and communities.”

Click here to read more about the lawsuit over the state’s school-funding system in the Philadelphia Inquirer.