Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is calling on the state Supreme Court to move quickly and sign off on a new formula for funding K-12 schools. On Monday, the court will set a calendar of hearings.
In order for Schmidt to get what he wants, state lawyers will need to convince the justices in those hearings that an extra $300 million in state aid is enough to end a long-running lawsuit that accuses Kansas of underfunding education.
Schmidt says the new funding blueprint offers the resources needed to help struggling students. School districts that are suing the state say it’s not enough.
The court-imposed deadline for a fair and adequate funding system to be in place is June 30.
Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KMUW, Kansas Public Radio and KCUR covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ.
