Page:Lake View School District No. 25 v. Huckabee, 351 Ark. 31 (2002).pdf/71

 Rh and however much this court might doubt the wisdom of the policy declared, it has no power to alter it. Wheelis, 189 Ark. at 376. That the General Assembly has plenary power over the public schools means that it has full power. Beard v. Albritton, 182 Ark. 538, 31 S.W.2d 959 (1930). The responsibility for the creation, organization, and regulation of that system of public schools thus is within the exclusive province of the General Assembly. ''Wallace Sch. Dist. v. County Bd. of Educ.'', 214 Ark. 436, 439, 216 S.W.2d 790 (1949). Supervision of the public schools is vested in such officers as the General Assembly may provide. Ark. Const. art. 14, § 4.

The role of this court is not to dictate policy; rather, it is to interpret the constitution. As this court stated in City of Hot Springs v. Creviston, 288 Ark. 286, 705 S.W.2d 415 (1986): Ever since Marbury v. Madison, 1 Cranch 137, was decided in 1803, the Supreme Court has had the responsibility of interpreting the United States Constitution and the state courts that of interpreting the state constitutions. But the judicial authority does not extend beyond interpretation. The courts do not have the power to hold a constitutional mandate in abeyance; they should not have that power. The constitutional way of doing things may be slow at times, but it is the right way. Creviston, 288 Ark. at 293. Thus, there is no question that this court has the obligation and authority to interpret the constitutional provisions regarding schools and determine whether the General Assembly is fulfilling its constitutional duty to provide a general, suitable, and efficient system of free public schools.

Previous case law confirms this conclusion regarding our duty to interpret the constitution. In the years since the present constitution was adopted, this court has had occasion to interpret provisions of Article 14 of our constitution on many occasions. As already noted, this court has declared that the General Assembly is obligated under the constitution to establish and maintain the public schools. Wallace, supra. This court has also declared that the General Assembly has the obligation to create schools and set the boundaries of districts. Beard, supra. The authority to decide how