A group of school districts filed a response today in the Kansas Supreme Court to the state’s motion to stay further panel proceedings in the Gannon school finance case.
The school districts in Schools for Fair Funding include the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools and the Turner Public Schools.
Today the school districts requested that the court deny the state its requested relief and instead remand the adequacy portion of the case to the panel until the conclusion of all of the pending post-trial motions, including the state’s post-trial motion related to adequacy and the plaintiffs’ post-trial motion related to equity.
According to the response filed today, the Gannon lawsuit had two equally important components – adequacy and equity. The adequacy portion of the lawsuit was appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court, and the state contended that this action strips the panel of jurisdiction to alter the adequacy portion of the judgment and the state sought an order staying the panel from acting on the state’s post-judgment motion.
The response pointed out that the state’s motion requested the panel to do what the state is now trying to stop it from doing – alter the adequacy portion of the judgment. Alternatively, the state asked the court to remand the case to the panel for the limited purpose of ruling on the state’s pending post-trial motion related to adequacy, according to the document filed today.
Instead, the school districts suggested that the court remand the adequacy portion of the case to the panel until the conclusion of all of the pending post-trial motions, including the state’s post-trial motion related to adequacy and the plaintiffs’ post-trial motion related to equity.
“There is no need for the court to enter the state’s requested relief, which will only extend and prolong this litigation,” the school district group stated.
The districts stated that their suggested relief would avoid piecemeal appeals. The school district group asked the court to resolve the adequacy and equity issues together. It added when the state filed its motion, it was concerned about preserving its appeal deadline.
To see earlier stories on this topic, visit:
https://wyandotteonline.com/kansas-attorney-general-asks-judges-for-clarity-in-school-finance-case/
https://wyandotteonline.com/school-funding-not-adequate-in-kansas-district-court-rules/