“Judith Deedy, executive director of Game on Kansas, a public education advocacy group, said she was ‘vehemently’ opposed to the court giving up jurisdiction.
“’This school year is the first year of full funding of the Gannon agreement,’ Deedy said, alluding to the last name of the lead plaintiff in the school case.
“’We are seeing a corresponding rise in student achievement and at the same time have heard numerous statements from legislators over the past several years indicating their irritation at having to comply with Gannon,’ she said in an email.
“’The Legislature’s refusal to comply with special education funding statute is further evidence of the difficulty of getting the legislature to fully fund education when not under court order,” Deedy wrote.
“Deedy said the Legislature didn’t live up to its funding commitments in a separate school funding case from 2006. Because the court didn’t retain jurisdiction, a new lawsuit had to be filed and it lasted until the Supreme Court ruled in 2019, she said…
“Deedy suggested the attorney general might have a deeper motive.
“We also question why seek the end of court oversight unless Kobach wants the Legislature to be free to violate the terms of the agreement,” she said…
“Republican state Rep. Kristey Williams, chair of the K-12 Budget Committee, said she thinks it would be good to be out from under court jurisdiction.”
Originally posted on Facebook on Oct. 12th, 2023.