Education ruling appealed

As expected, Kansas will appeal a district court panel ruling that found the state isn’t spending enough money on its public schools to provide a suitable education, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said.

Schmidt said after the appeal is filed, the timeline will be determined by the Kansas Supreme Court. However, he said it is hard to imagine a ruling coming during this year's legislative session.

Gov. Sam Brownback’s spending recommendations to the Kansas Legislature would reduce education funding by about 3 percent

"We say it's flat. Schools are going to say it's a huge cut," Shawn Sullivan, Brownback's budget director, said during a recent interview.

The governor's proposals on school funding accompany measures to slow future income tax cuts and dramatically increase the tobacco and alcohol taxes. He's pushing legislators to junk the state's entire school funding formula and distribute "block grants" to school districts while lawmakers create a new funding scheme.

Compiled from Associated Press stories.