A Kansas school finance court on Tuesday ruled that the Kansas public school budget is not sufficient and violates the state constitution, the Wichita Eagle reported.
According to a three-judge panel on the Shawnee County District Court, school funding does not meet the “Rose standards,” a test for school funding used by multiple states.
In the decision, the court wrote that Kansas needs to establish a required level of school funding and a formula for determining the school budget each year.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) did not immediately announce whether the state would appeal the ruling.
“We will review today’s decision carefully. The Governor will work with legislative leaders to determine the best path forward,” his office said in a statement, according to the Wichita Eagle, and the newspaper said the decision is likely to be appealed.
A court panel initially ruled that the state school budget was insufficient and inequitable in 2013, according to the Wichita Eagle. After the state appealed the decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the funding was in equitable, but ordered the lower panel to take another look at whether the state budget was inadequate.
Earlier this month Brownback announced that he would make dramatic budget cuts in order to fill the state’s budget deficit. Though Brownback won re-election in 2014, he lost popularity in Kansas due to large tax cuts he initiated in his first term.
Read the ruling:
Shawnee County District Court Ruling On Kansas School Budget
