TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas district court may block the state from changing its school funding system while a lawsuit regarding the system is pending. The court released an order yesterday (FRI) announcing it may intervene to protect the status quo as it decides a case determining whether Kansas is funding education at constitutionally appropriate levels. The court will hold a hearing on the issue May 7. The Kansas House passed a bill overhauling the state's school funding plan just hours earlier. The plan would replace the current formula with block grants to each school district.Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, in a statement, called the move unusual and unexpected. Schmidt said the order will further delay the case and create a host of additional constitutional and legal issues.
The AP is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, as a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members, it can maintain its single-minded focus on newsgathering and its commitment to the highest standards of objective, accurate journalism.