SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) A New Mexico judge appears poised to rule that the state can continue to pay for private school students' textbooks. District Judge Sarah Singleton concluded a hearing Monday by saying nothing in the New Mexico Constitution bars the state from paying for private schools' instructional materials. Singleton also told the state's lawyers to draft an order in their favor, and a lawyer for individuals who sued the state says it's obvious that Singleton will rule against them.
According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, at issue is the constitutionality of a state law that authorizes spending on instructional materials for private schools.
The lawsuit cites a constitutional provision that bars public funding for private education, but Singleton said the provision doesn't specifically include a ban on providing textbooks.
