Nebraska farmers understand a fundamental truth about stewardship: You don’t eat your seed corn today if you want a harvest tomorrow.

In a landmark decision, the Oregon Court of Appeals reversed a lower court's dismissal in a lawsuit by the Oregon Advocates for School Trust Lands (OASTL), handing advocates a major victory.

Advocates for School Trust Lands is thrilled to announce the first annual Punctilio of Honor Award, presented to Roy Andes. Roy's legal work in Montana, including his successful challenges to discounted grazing rates, has secured millions for Montana's schools and defined the legal standard for trust advocacy.

"Is political difficulty now a guiding principle for the board? Or is it going to be the best situation that produces revenue, consistent with your trust duty for public education?"

Had Arizona adopted a 4.5% rate in 2016, the fund would be $1.4 billion larger today. Because the corpus would be significantly healthier, the "payout gap" schools are currently facing would be roughly $85 million, a manageable figure, rather than the staggering $285 million shortfall created by the lower $6.2 billion balance.

Utah announced a record-breaking $134 million distribution for the 2026-2027 school year.