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Perfectly said in Texas, applies equally to Kansas. “Constitutionally adequate” isn’t good enough, and unconstitutional really isn’t good enough. “The state’s lawyers downplayed the importance of money to a first-class education in their presentation to the state justices. ‘Money isn’t pixie dust,’ Craft said. ‘Funding is no guarantee of better student outcomes.’ “This disbelief in the necessity of money in creating a first-class education system is a common argument. Especially from those who propose funneling money away from public schools and into school vouchers for use at pricey private schools. Or who readily sprinkle the same ‘pixie dust’...

“Despite the Legislature’s coercive tactics, Hendricks ruled on Wednesday that taking away the Supreme Court’s power to appoint chief judges violated the separation of powers doctrine, as well as the Kansas Constitution, which says, ‘The supreme court shall have general administrative authority over all courts in the state.’ “As noted at the outset, the governor and Legislature probably were not surprised by this outcome. The highly unusual act of tying the outcome of this case to the judicial budget was intended to challenge the powers of the state court… “Separation of powers is a core principle of democratic...