When Lawyers Get Paid and Classrooms Don’t

What if part of your child’s school budget never made it to the classroom?

A single lawsuit over a student’s IEP shines a light on a problem most families never hear about. Across the country, school leaders are spending more time in courtrooms than classrooms, navigating legal battles just to keep schools running.

In one jaw-dropping case, a federal judge ordered an Illinois school district to pay $248,000 in legal fees, the equivalent of funding 17.5 students for an entire year. That is money that could have gone to teachers, services, or student support. Instead, it went straight to attorneys.

Meanwhile, districts like Shelby County, Tennessee are facing legal pressure so intense it is pulling leadership away from kids and toward survival mode.

This episode breaks down the vicious cycle where lawsuits quietly drain school resources, why it keeps happening, and what communities can do to stand behind the educators caught in the middle.

If you care about what happens to education dollars after they leave the classroom, this is a conversation you will not want to miss.