Plaintiffs in a Kansas school funding lawsuit are asking a court in Topeka to block Governor Sam Browback's new funding plan. The governor signed the plan into law this week. It gives each school district a fixed amount of money in the form of block grants for the next two years. It replaces the current funding formula and would freeze spedning at the same level in 2016 as in the current fiscal year. The plaintiff’s attorney John Robb says the new method is unconstitutional because it under-funds public schools.
An analysis from the Kansas Department of Education reveals that the state's school districts would receive about $51 million dollars less in state aid, though some districts would see an increase in funding. A spokeswoman for Attorney General Derek Schmidt says the administration will defend the new school finance law in court.
