By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

John Robb, the attorney for Schools for Fair Funding, said Tuesday’s district court decision that ruled Kansas is not spending enough on schools was “a great day for Kansas kids.”

“I think the court reaffirmed the notion the Constitution guarantees that kids get an adequate education, and it found that in Kansas they are not,” said Robb, Newton.

Robb said the decision made two important issues very clear.

“One is the school finance formula is just fine but it is underfunded so (legislators) do not need to come with a new formula,” he said. “And point two is (the court panel) found the Local Option Budget scheme we have in the formula is unconstitutional because it pushes a state obligation onto the local taxpayers.”

The LOB “scheme” as Robb calls it, was part of April’s school funding compromise passed by state legislators, providing local school boards the option to hold LOB elections in hopes of making up for lost funds from the state.

Robb noted the ruling is a preliminary one and the Kansas Supreme Court will need to rule on the issue as well – a process he said could take a year.

The full memorandum opinion can be found HERE.