TOPEKA — Two Kansas Supreme Court justices have questioned changes legislators made in the state’s education funding system and whether they’re fair to poor public school districts.
Justices Lee Johnson and Dan Biles pressed state Solicitor General Stephen McAllister during a hearing Tuesday on changes approved earlier this year that left aid for most of the state’s 286 school districts unchanged. The changes prevented any district from losing money.
Biles and Johnson questioned whether preventing any district from losing funds was fair to poor districts that were being shorted on their aid.
The court in February ordered the Legislature to improve funding for poor districts. It gave lawmakers until June 30 to fix the problems or face having schools shut down.
McAllister said the Legislature’s fix didn’t harm poor districts.
9:25 a.m.
An attorney for the state is reminding the Kansas Supreme Court that it has told legislators they have a variety of ways to improve school funding for poor districts as he defends changes lawmakers made earlier this year.
Kansas Solicitor General Stephen McAllister argued Tuesday that changes approved earlier this year are fair enough to poor districts that the justices can abandon a threat to shut down schools.
The court in February ordered the Legislature to improve funding for poor districts and gave lawmakers until June 30. Lawmakers’ changes leave most school districts’ aid unchanged and do not boost overall spending.
McAllister said he’s hoping the court won’t require perfection because it can’t be achieved and lawmakers took the justices at their word that there’s “more than one way” to fix problems.
9:05 a.m.
The Kansas Supreme Court has begun hearing arguments on recent changes made by legislators to the state’s system for funding public schools.
Attorneys for the state hoped Tuesday to persuade the justices that technical changes approved earlier this year are fair enough to poor districts that the justices can abandon a threat to shut down schools.
The court in February ordered the Legislature to improve funding for poor school districts. The justices gave lawmakers until June 30 to fix the problems or face having schools shut down.
Lawmakers’ changes leave most school districts’ aid unchanged and don’t boost overall education spending.
Lawyers for four school districts suing the state contend legislators’ work does not satisfy the Supreme Court’s order because aid to poor districts didn’t increase.
12:45 a.m.
Attorneys for Kansas hope to persuade the state Supreme Court to accept recent changes made by lawmakers in the state’s system for funding public schools.
The court is set to hear arguments Tuesday on whether the technical changes approved earlier this year are fair enough to poor districts that the justices can abandon a threat to shut down public schools.
The court in February ordered the Legislature to improve funding for poor school districts. The justices gave lawmakers until June 30 to fix the problems or face having schools shut down.
Lawmakers’ changes leave most school districts’ aid unchanged and don’t boost overall education spending.
Lawyers for four school districts suing the state contend legislators’ work shouldn’t satisfy the Supreme Court’s order because aid to poor districts didn’t increase.
