“Both the governor and Legislature are attempting to pull a fast one on the people of Kansas, and obviously do not appreciate being told they were wrong.
“But they are wrong. Lawmakers repeatedly have been told the amount of money given to public schools has been inadequate and inequitable. While the Statehouse grumbled, they at least used to comply with such rulings.
“That changed with Brownback’s election to office, and solidified with the moderate purge of 2012. Since that point, the court effectively has been ignored.
“This session, Brownback and Co. threw out the school finance formula. In its place, a block-grant system that suddenly included supposedly mandatory KPERS contributions that artificially inflated the total. Then came all the self-congratulations about how education spending was at an all-time high.
“The court was not fooled by the deception, and immediately ordered the reinstatement of portions of the old formula — and $47 million — to alleviate concerns about the equity portion…
“The court’s role is to determine if laws pass constitutional muster. If doing their job correctly results in being called ‘activist,’ judges should wear the label proudly.”
Read more here: http://www.hdnews.net/opinion/editorials/paying-for-education/article_100ccd91-0626-5628-b452-69317e76acf0.html