As has been made readily evident by the General Assembly’s actions and inactions in recent years, the post-Leandro education world in North Carolina will be a two-tiered system. (Photo: Getty Images)

Today is likely the final day for North Carolina Supreme Court rulings in 2024, and that makes it an ominous day for our state’s public schools.

That’s because it’s been ten months since the court – now controlled by an archconservative majority — heard the latest arguments in the 30-year-old Leandro school funding case.

In 2022 a differently composed court ordered the General Assembly to fund a comprehensive plan that would assure every student in the state has access to a sound basic education.

Unfortunately, the legislature refused to obey and instead asked the newly GOP-dominated court to revisit the issue yet again.

The bottom line: all this means three things can happen today.

The court could do the right thing and reassert its authority to order the legislature to act, but few expect that.

Meanwhile the other more likely options: surrendering to the legislature or simply kicking the can down the road by not issuing a ruling both mean that our schools will continue, for the foreseeable future, to be chronically and unconstitutionally underfunded.

For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.