TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has seen its budget picture improve after officials and university economists issued a new fiscal forecast that was a little more optimistic than the previous one.

The state’s forecasting group on Thursday increased projections for tax collections by a total of almost $225 million for the current and next budget years, through June 2019.

Tax collections have been better than expected for the past five months.

The new projections are an average of 1.8 percent higher than those in the previous forecast issued in April.

The new forecast was issued a month after the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that legislators did not increase spending on public schools enough this year to finance a suitable education for every child. The new forecast would allow for some new spending.