TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Senate is considering a proposed amendment to the state constitution aimed at preventing the courts from deciding disputes over how much the state spends on its public schools.
Senators expected to take final action Wednesday. Supporters will need a two-thirds majority, or 27 votes in the 40-member chamber, to win approval for the proposal.
The measure would add a new sentence to the Kansas Constitution’s article on education, declaring that the Legislature has the exclusive power to determine how much the state will spend on schools.
That article now requires the Legislature to make suitable provision for financing education.
A school funding lawsuit is pending before the Kansas Supreme Court after a three-judge panel ruled that lawmakers aren’t meeting their constitutional duty and must spend more.
