A district court in Austin this week was the scene of opening arguments in the lawsuit challenging the state's school finance system. School districts banded together to sue the state for cutting funding in the last legislative session while raising standards districts say strain their resources. State attorneys blamed the districts' woes on bad decisions made at the local level. A charter school group that joined the lawsuit accuses the state of inadequately funding public education, but also has its own goals of eliminating the state’s cap on charters and gaining facilities funding. And a sixth group, Texans for Real Efficiency and Equity in Education, wants to do away with what it calls the monopoly the state has on education and the resulting inefficiencies and unfairness. The trial is expected to last until January.