TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former member of the Kansas State Board of Education is opposing a school finance suit, saying school districts don’t need more money.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Wichita Republican Walt Chappell submitted an amicus brief to the Kansas Supreme Court this month. He says school districts could save nearly a billion dollars by consolidating, making teachers work longer hours and cutting funding for low-income students.
The school finance lawsuit accuses the state and Legislature of underfunding schools by hundreds of millions of dollars. In January, a Shawnee County District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, an alliance of about 50 school districts.
The case since has proceeded to the Kansas Supreme Court.
