Kansas lawmakers face puzzle of school funding and budget fix

Newly elected lawmakers will have a difficult puzzle to solve when they arrive in Topeka next month.

They’ll face a projected budget hole of more than $900 million for the next 18 months. And they’ll need to write a new school finance formula before the current block grant system expires in June.

And at some point, the Kansas Supreme Court will rule on whether the state has unconstitutionally underfunded schools. A decision in favor of Wichita and other school districts suing for more money would make it more difficult to fill the budget hole and increase pressure for a new formula that ensures adequate funding.

“I’m not articulate enough to describe how difficult it will be,” said outgoing Senate Vice President Jeff King, R-Independence, who is retiring from the Legislature.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article122635084.html