According to numerous sources, the state of Alaska and a group called Citizens for the Educational Advancement of Alaska's Children (CEAAC) has reached a settlement in the long-running "Moore case."
The Juneau Empire reports that in 2004, CEACC, which represents several school districts, mostly rural, sued the state on the grounds that the public school system did not meet constitutional standards.
In 2007, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason found that due to the consistently poor performance of some districts, and the consistent failure in several others, the state was falling short of its constitutional duty to provide oversight of local education services.
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development disputed the ruling, hence the current settlement.
Under the new agreement, which still depends upon legislative approval, the state would provide $18 million to the 40 lowest-performing schools in Alaska, all in rural districts, with $12 million marked for projects like teacher retention and help for students to meet graduation requirements, and with $6 million marked for early education and literacy efforts.
Read more at the Juneau Empire, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Associated Press (via the Anchorage Daily News).