TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas Supreme Court’s hearing on public school funding (all times local):
1:25 p.m.
The top school administrator in Kansas City, Kansas, says the state needs balanced tax policy to fix funding for its public schools.
Superintendent Cynthia Lane was present Tuesday for a Kansas Supreme Court hearing on education funding changes made by legislators this year.
The court told lawmakers in February to improve funding for poor school districts.
The Legislature rewrote school funding laws but left most districts’ aid unchanged. Lane said the changes only moved money around.
An attorney for the districts suggested the court could order a boost in aid to poor districts and demand cuts elsewhere in the budget. Lane said that that would be only a temporary solution.
She said the long-term remedy is tax policy that funds quality services. The state slashed income taxes in 2012 and 2013.
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12:35 p.m.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says the state Supreme Court has no reason to shut down public schools even if it doesn’t like changes in the education funding system made earlier this year by lawmakers.
Schmidt commented Tuesday after the court concluded a hearing on whether those changes comply with an order the justices issued in February.
The court ordered lawmakers then to improve funding for poor school districts. Lawmakers rewrote part of the state’s school funding formula but left most districts’ aid unchanged.
Schmidt said lawmakers made enough changes to make funding fairer for poor districts.
An attorney for four school districts suing the state said the court could order lawmakers to boost aid to poor districts and cut spending elsewhere in the state budget.
11:40 a.m.
An attorney for the state has urged the Kansas Supreme Court to pursue the narrowest possible remedy if the justices reject recent changes in the public school funding system.
State Solicitor General Stephen McAllister made his plea Tuesday as the court concluded arguments on whether the changes comply with an earlier ruling made by the justices.
The court ordered lawmakers in February to improve funding for poor school districts. The changes made by legislators rewrite part of the state’s school funding formula but leave aid for most districts unchanged.
Attorney Alan Rupe argued on behalf of four school districts suing the state that the court can order lawmakers to boost aid to poor districts and order them to cut spending elsewhere.
But McAllister said such an order would be unprecedented.
11:20 a.m.
A lawyer for four Kansas school districts has told the state Supreme Court that it should order lawmakers to boost aid to public schools and can require cuts in all other spending.
Attorney Alan Rupe attempted Tuesday to persuade the court to reject education funding changes made earlier this year by the Republican-dominated Legislature.
The court ordered lawmakers in February to improve funding for poor school districts. The changes leave most districts’ aid unchanged.
Rupe said the court has the power to order lawmakers to increase aid to poor districts. He said the court could also order the state to cut other spending so that schools get more.
The Kansas Constitution requires legislators to make “suitable provision” for financing schools. Rupe said schools have priority over other governmental operations.
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11 a.m.
A lawyer for four Kansas school districts is arguing before the state Supreme Court that recent changes in education funding are unfair to poor school districts.
Attorney Alan Rupe attempted Tuesday to persuade the court to reject the changes made earlier this year by the Republican-dominated Legislature. The justices are considering whether the changes comply with an order they issued in February.
The court directed lawmakers to improve funding for poor districts and gave legislators until June 30 to approve a fix or face having schools shut down.
This year’s changes prevented any district from losing money and leave most districts’ aid unchanged.
Rupe said the education funding system now may be worse for poor districts. He represents the Dodge City, Hutchinson, Wichita and Kansas City, Kansas, districts.
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10:10 a.m.
Kansas Supreme Court justices are pondering what would happen if they declare part of the state’s education funding system unconstitutional without shutting down public schools.
The issue arose Tuesday during the court’s hearing on changes in school funding made earlier this year by legislators. The court is considering whether those changes are fair to poor districts.
The court in February ordered lawmakers to improve poor districts’ funding. The justices gave them until June 30 to fix the problems or face having schools shut down.
State Solicitor General Stephen McAllister argued that the court should not shut down schools even if it doesn’t like legislators’ changes.
But several justices asked whether schools could still operate effectively if striking down parts of the school aid formula denied districts part of their aid.
9:45 a.m.
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.
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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.
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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.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Lawyers for the state hope to persuade the Kansas Supreme Court to accept recent technical changes made by lawmakers in the state’s public school funding system.
The court is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday on whether the 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.