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State Argues Courts Shouldn’t Determine Kansas School Funding

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Stephen Koranda

Attorneys for the state say it’s up to lawmakers and the governor to decide if Kansas is spending enough money on education. They made that argument in a filing before the Kansas Supreme Court. As KPR’s Stephen Koranda reports, at issue is whether the Kansas is spending enough to satisfy the state’s Constitution.

The state’s attorneys say judges shouldn’t allow school districts to second-guess decisions by lawmakers. They also say Kansas students perform at a high level, and that is evidence that the state is spending enough.

An attorney for public schools fired back, saying the state is simply trying to justify current spending levels.

A lower court has already ruled that Kansas should increase funding by hundreds of millions of dollars. The high court is expected to rule on the school funding case sometime next year.

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Stephen Koranda is the managing editor of the Kansas News Service, based at KCUR. He has nearly 20 years of experience in public media as a reporter and editor.
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