Legislative action to add more money to public education has found favor with the Kansas Supreme Court.
The high court said lawmakers’ decision to add $90 million per year over four years as an inflation component puts the state’s education funding package “in substantial compliance” with a court mandate from last year.
The Supreme Court has now made seven rulings on education funding since 2014. Last year, the high court said the state had not adequately funded K-12 education despite legislation enacted both that year and in 2017 — although it said the state’s approach of returning to and fully funding the 2006 formula would suffice, provided it was properly funded. A later ruling said the state needed to resolve inflation concerns.
Lawmakers and education officials are reviewing the decision. KVOE News has reached out to local and area lawmakers and education administrators for their reactions and perspectives.
Governor Laura Kelly, meanwhile, called the ruling “a great for Kansas and for our kids.” She says educating children is the state’s “moral and constitutional obligation,” and she says she will do what she can to hold lawmakers to their promise of fully funding public education.
The Supreme Court also says it retains the jurisdiction to make sure the plan is implemented as stated.
