Schools file lawsuit against the state
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Reader poll
Do you think the Emporia School district should join the lawsuit to sue the state for more education funding?
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- Undecided
715 total votes.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Attorneys for a coalition of Kansas school districts have filed a lawsuit against the state over the way public education is funded.
John Robb and Alan Rupe filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Shawnee County District Court. Districts included in the filing are Wichita, Hutchinson, Kansas City and Dodge City.
The lawsuit alleges that the state has violated the Kansas Constitution in the way it funds education. It claims students are being deprived of their fundamental right to an education.
The attorneys say the lawsuit was prompted by cuts in education spending after a similar lawsuit was settled in 2006.
The Kansas attorney general's office is charged with defending the case. It has hired a Wichita law firm to represent the state.
The case will be heard by a three-judge panel assigned by Kansas Court of Appeals Judge Gary Rulon.
booker5m (anonymous) says...
Who is paying for this law suit?
November 2, 2010 at 7:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
booker 5m
The Kansas taxpayers are paying for both the school district attorneys and the attorneys, hired by the State and the taxpayers are also paying for the judges that will hear the case !
So the only real losers in this whole thing will be the State of Kansas taxpayers !!!!
November 2, 2010 at 10:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ZaneRokklyn (anonymous) says...
How about the losers who are trying to deprive our kids of their constitutional right to a public education? Or, if they succeed, our children will all get to be losers.
November 2, 2010 at 11:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
genxer (anonymous) says...
The problem here is the schools. They simply refuse to live within their means. They constantly want more money and if they don't get it they're gonna sue!!!
I hope the first thing the new republican house goes after is the Department of Education which was created to make American Schools more competitive. How is that working out? It's not. The Dept. of Education is mostly a waste of money. I did notice that Obama got rid of the Education attache in Paris last year. That government waste is something I can agree with him on.
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/may/...
November 3, 2010 at 8:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bobhornet (anonymous) says...
Our children are NOT being deprived of a good education. These lawyers and school districts are using the courts to increase school funding. Appropriations go through the Legislature, not the courts!
Kansas needs to amend its constitution to explicitly state that the Legislature--not courts and greasy lawyers--determine what a "suitable education" is for our kids.
November 3, 2010 at 8:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bobhornet (anonymous) says...
Zane--How anyone could accuse Kansas of depriving students of their fundamental right to an education when our schools rank among the best in the Union is illogical. I must assume you are either a card-carrying member of that racket called the NEA or a slimy lawyer.
November 3, 2010 at 8:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
bobhornet, You seem like a nice person but I would be willing to testify under oath in any court of law that the flint hills special education cooperative have denied a student the right to an appropriate public education. Since they did it to mine, they will do it to yours too.
November 3, 2010 at 8:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
genxer (anonymous) says...
REWBA, how so?
November 3, 2010 at 10:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
AverageCitizen2 (anonymous) says...
Yes, REWBA...please elaborate on how your child was denied the right to an appropriate public education.
November 3, 2010 at 10:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bobhornet (anonymous) says...
Rewba, obviously I don't know the specifics of the case you write about. But I would suspect that it has little to nothing to do with the funding formula for K-12 education. That's what these lawyers are trying to change in court rather than through the appropriate process--the Legislature.
I'm a big supporter of education, but too many teachers and administrators in Kansas's K-12 system have become greedy and extravagant in their spending. And it has nothing to do with providing a better education for our kids!
November 3, 2010 at 10:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SFIns (anonymous) says...
Maybe, just maybe,l if the schools didn't spend over a million dollars on a turf field they could live within the current funding formula. But no... they have to have the newest and greatest toys that do not have an effect on core education system.
November 3, 2010 at 11:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
bobhornet, that seems to be the problem here. If the legislature fails to provide adequate funding to resource even the most minimal educational requirements, then the only recourse the school has is the courts.
If genxer and AverageCitizen2 want to read a sad story they can google "sad stories" and I'm sure they can find one to enjoy.
November 3, 2010 at 4:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nks (anonymous) says...
School districts havent been made accountable for years and have had a bottomless cash pot. Yes, this includes hiring un-needed personell and an AVERAGE teacher salary now of $50K in Emporia. The administrators average salary is even higher.
Times get tough and now they do not know how to handle it. No blank check book anymore so they need to sue.
If they made cuts where they were NEEDED instead of wanted it would be much simpler.
November 3, 2010 at 8:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sail (anonymous) says...
Well usd253 has a problem here , they want money from an angry tax payer who has just tasted blood. The board thinks that the tax payer will be in their corner in this fight, fat chance.The board office is an example of gov spending gone wild, its not the teacher salaries that our out of line , its the "D" BOARD OFFICE cabal that needs to be tarred and feathered.Do those nimrods of our treasury at the board think they will get another bond issue passed with the way they show their stewardship of our tax $$.
November 3, 2010 at 9:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sail (anonymous) says...
Genx, I agree the dept of ed could be cut and power given back to the states and local communities.Lets hope our new congress is more go than blow.
November 3, 2010 at 9:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sail (anonymous) says...
Ok, someone tell me what% of the state budget is for K-12 EDUCATION. Im sure it would make most of us sick to know how much is spent AT THE BOARD OFFICE.
November 3, 2010 at 9:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
Over 60% of the general fund goes to education, they want more?
November 4, 2010 at 3:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )