TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Legislature’s top Democrats are predicting that Republican lawmakers will try to extend a new law for funding public schools that’s been criticized by many educators.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley of Topeka and House Minority Leader Tom Burroughs of Kansas City said Sunday that they believe the Legislature’s GOP majorities won’t be able to pass another school funding law this year.

The Legislature last year junked a per-pupil formula for distributing state aid to school districts, replacing it with “block grants.”

The new law expires in July 2017, but Hensley and Burroughs predicted Republicans will try to extend it another year.

Democratic lawmakers had a briefing on school funding issues from Deputy Education Commissioner Dale Dennis. They caucused a day before the Legislature opens its annual session.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers were meeting to discuss school funding issues before the Kansas Legislature opened its annual session.

Democrats from both chambers gathered Sunday afternoon for a joint caucus. They were having a briefing on budget issues and hearing from Deputy Education Commissioner Dale Dennis about school funding.

Senate Republicans also planned to have what their leaders described as an orientation meeting Sunday evening. However, they said it would be closed to the public.

Both chambers were scheduled to convene at 2 p.m. Monday to formally open the session.

Lawmakers expect to debate overhauling how the state distributes more than $4 billion a year in aid to its 286 public school districts. But GOP lawmakers aren’t yet sure how far the Legislature will get in drafting a new school finance formula.