This paper examines the two conflicting definitions of local control inherent in the majority and minority opinions in the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision, San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez. The author agrees with the minority decision that lack of adequate funds, regardless of the number of legal constraints set down by the state, weakens, if not effectively eliminates, local decision-making and control. What research there is on the relationship between school funding and school district autonomy indicates (contrary to the assumption of the Court's majority) that increased state funding to local districts does not decrease local decision-making power. However, property-poor districts that receive insufficient state equalization funds are restricted in ways in which richer districts are not. Not only does local control suffer in poor districts, but the quality of education (at least in part dependent on money) also drops. (DS)