Judge Accepts Pact on Equal Funding for Schools : Education: Consent decree calls for a radical redistribution of resources to eliminate inequities between middle-class and poorer campuses.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has approved an agreement that settles a landmark lawsuit aimed at rectifying years of alleged inequities between schools in middle-class and poorer neighborhoods.

Judge Ralph Nutter made his ruling Monday and will issue a written order accepting the consent decree in about 30 days, officials said.

“The judge’s ultimate conclusion was that the consent decree was fair, reasonable and adequate,” said Michael Johnson, an attorney for the Los Angeles Unified School District. “We’re very pleased and the district is ready to begin implementation.”

The judge’s decision brings to a close a legal battle that began nearly six years ago, and ushers in an equalization process that will radically redistribute resources within the nation’s second-largest school system.

The agreement equalizes district spending so that every campus receives the same amount of money per pupil to pay for everything from classroom supplies to teacher salaries.

The agreement was put in jeopardy in March when the Board of Education approved a change that would allow the district to be in compliance if only 90% of its more than 600 schools met its standards by the end of a five-year deadline.

Plaintiffs feared that the 90% figure would allow dozens of schools to remain perpetually out of compliance. The dispute was resolved when the agreement was revised, explicitly stating the district’s commitment to make every school meet decree standards.

Those who have opposed the settlement, including the Los Angeles teachers union and a group of Los Angeles parents on the Westside, voiced their objections during hearings in June, said Johnson.

The opposing parties can appeal the court’s decision, Johnson said.