As Gov. Sam Brownback signed a school funding bill into law today, a lawyer for the school districts stated he anticipates more court action.
Gov. Brownback issued this statement today as he signed the bill: “The legislature missed an opportunity to substantially improve the K-12 funding system. They did, however, direct more dollars into the classroom by limiting bond and interest aid, encouraging responsible financial stewardship at the local level. Additionally, they included a sunset on the school funding system, allowing for a regular and robust discussion about the needs of Kansas students.”
The bill’s backers said during debate that they believed the amount was adequate.
Alan Rupe, attorney for school districts that filed suit in the Gannon case, including the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools, stated he anticipates there will be a scheduling order from the Kansas Supreme Court that will tell the state to show why this legislative bill achieves adequacy and constitutionality for Kansas public school students.
The court previously had ordered that the Kansas Legislature needs to respond with adequate funding for public schools.
“Our position is $293 million is appreciated but the Kansas Legislature needs to dig deeper and reach higher with their goals and provide more resources to Kansas kids,” Rupe said. “It’s not just lawyers and plaintiffs saying that.”
He said the Kansas Supreme Court told the Legislature to increase funding, using cost studies, and he said that cost studies done by the Legislature show the number to be about $1.4 billion.
The Kansas Board of Education also has indicated that more is necessary – $893 million paid over two years, he said. The trial court heard evidence of a similar number, he added.
“You can see that $293 million is an amount that falls way short of what the funding the experts say is needed in order to adequately fund Kansas public schools,” Rupe said.
The Kansas Legislature needs to respond with adequate funding for public schools in order to be constitutional, he said.