Kansas School Finance Case Nears Court Date

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A lawsuit that challenges the way the state funds education gets under way next week in Shawnee County District Court. It is the second time in the past decade that school finance has been put to litigation and the first since a 2005 Kansas Supreme Court ruling forced legislators to pump nearly $1 billion into K-12 funding. Fifty-four school districts are involved in the case. The districts are alleging that budget cuts in recent years amount to reneging on promises legislators made to comply with the court order. The state counters that extraordinary economic times forced the state to make spending cuts to keep the state solvent and that efforts were made to protect schools and academic progress. A three-judge panel will hear the case, which begins June 4th.