A Continuing Legacy of Advocacy for Public Education

In case you missed the recent news coverage, Bricker Graydon Wyatt secured a significant victory before the Kentucky Supreme Court, which unanimously ruled in favor longtime client, the Council for Better Education. The Court affirmed Judge Shepherd’s decision holding that Kentucky House Bill 9 violates Sections 183, 184, and 186 of the Kentucky Constitution - core provisions mandating that public funds be used to support public schools. Our team of Byron Leet, Sean Williamson, and Mitzi Wyrick carried this case from its earliest stages through briefing and oral argument last September, delivering a result that reinforces constitutional protections for public education.

This decision is not an isolated success, but rather the latest chapter in Bricker Graydon Wyatt’s decades-long commitment to public schools and the communities they serve. The Council for Better Education itself was formed more than forty years ago by superintendents from some of Kentucky’s most economically disadvantaged districts. From its inception, our firm has served as CBE’s primary litigation counsel, standing alongside educators who understood that meaningful educational opportunity depends on constitutional fidelity and sustained public investment.

The Kentucky Supreme Court’s opinion begins with a citation to Rose v. Council for Better Education, the landmark 1989 case litigated by our firm under the leadership of former Governor and former Wyatt Tarrant Combs attorney Bert Combs. Rose reshaped Kentucky’s educational landscape and led directly to Kentucky’s comprehensive education reform legislation in 1990. That foundational work cemented a constitutional principle that remains vital today: public education is not discretionary. It is a constitutional mandate.

That same principle has guided our advocacy across state lines. In Ohio, legacy firm Bricker & Eckler played a central role in DeRolph v. State, a series of cases that challenged the constitutionality of Ohio’s school funding system and reshaped the statewide conversation about adequacy, equity, and the State’s obligation to its children. While the legal paths in Kentucky and Ohio have differed, the underlying commitment has remained constant: ensuring that state constitutions are honored and that public schools receive the support they are guaranteed under the law.

From Bert Combs to Byron Leet in Kentucky, to Nick Pittner and the late Sue Yount in Ohio and with deep respect for the many lawyers who carried this work forward in between, Bricker Graydon Wyatt’s attorneys have consistently advocated on behalf of school districts and, by extension, the students educated in public schools.

Every day, thousands of educators and administrators across our communities show up focused on making a difference in the life of a child. Our work supporting them, whether in constitutional litigation, board rooms, or courtrooms across state lines, reflects the legacy of our firm and our enduring contribution to the communities we serve. The Kentucky Supreme Court’s decision reaffirms a steadfast commitment to public education and to the constitutional principles that sustain it.