Schools plan passes

By

State News

April 5, 2019 - 3:50 PM

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ new Democratic governor promised on the campaign trail to end a protracted lawsuit over education funding by increasing state spending on public schools, and the Republican-led Legislature approved her proposal Thursday evening.

It may not be enough.

An attorney for the local school districts suing the state certainly doesn’t think so, and his clients have won before the Kansas Supreme Court repeatedly. Even some legislators who backed Gov. Laura Kelly’s plan for an increase of roughly $90 million a year think they’ll be discussing another Supreme Court order to boost funding again next year. Others are hopeful the court will sign off, but no one is dead certain.

“Worst-case scenario, all it does is buy us another year,” said Rep. Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat who serves on a House education funding committee. “Best-case scenario is the court says, ‘That’s a good faith effort and we’ll monitor the case over the next few years.’”

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