Oct. 25, 1993
The trial was heard in Perry County courts.

July 1, 1994
Judge Linton D. Lewis Jr. ruled Ohio's school-funding system unconstitutional.

Aug. 30, 1995
The 5th District Court of Appeals overturned Lewis' decision 2-1, after the State appealed the decision, claiming that the legislature should determine the level of funding.

Oct. 10, 1995
The Ohio Coalition for Equity & Adequacy of School Funding, representing more than 500 of the state's 612 districts, appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court.

March 24, 1997
In a 4-3 vote, the Ohio Supreme Court overturned the appellate ruling, declaring the entire school funding system to be unconstitutional. They gave the General Assembly a year to overhaul the funding system and reduce the reliance on local property taxes.

Feb. 1, 1998
The legislature established a new basic-aid formula for state and local funding to school districts, phased in to reach $4,414 per student in 2002.

March 24, 1998
The Supreme Court's one-year deadline passes.

May 5, 1998
Ohio voters rejected a penny-on-the-dollar increase in the state sales tax to raise $1.1 billion a year, half for schools and half for property-tax relief.

Feb. 26, 1999
Judge Lewis, in Perry County ruled that the legislature has not complied with the Supreme Court's order for a ''complete, systematic overhaul'' of school funding.

Nov. 16, 1999
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments relating to the State's appeal of Lewis' ruling.

May 11, 2000
The Supreme Court declared that the General Assembly has failed to fix the school-funding system.

May 30, 2001
The legislature increased funding to schools by $1.4 billion, boosting per-student state aid to $4,814 that fall and $4,949 the next year and providing parity aid to poorer districts to lessen disparities.

June 20, 2001
The Ohio Supreme Court heard oral arguments on whether the latest legislative fix meets the court's mandate.

Sept. 6, 2001
In another 4-3 ruling, the court says the system remains unconstitutional but ordered a fix to bring it up to Ohio's ''thorough and efficient'' standard.

Sept. 17, 2001
Over objections of legislative leaders, Taft asked the court to reconsider its latest ruling.

Dec. 13, 2001
The court appointed mediator Howard S. Bellman to negotiate a settlement in the case.

March 21, 2002
Bellman notified the court that mediation failed.

December 11, 2002
The court, by a vote of 4-3, ruled that Ohio's school-funding system remains unconstitutional and orders lawmakers to fix it, giving no deadline and relinquishing its jurisdiction in the matter. "Unconstitutional.''

May 16, 2003
The Ohio Supreme Court blocked any further action in Ohio courts.

August 14, 2003
The Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding petitioned the US Supreme Court to hear the case on the procedural point of whether there can be a right with no legal remedy

October 20, 2003
The US Supreme Court declined to hear the case, effectively ending the DeRolph litigation.

The system remains unconstitutional.

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