Syndicated to Kansas newspapers March 6, 2017
The Kansas Supreme Court has finally issued its opinion on adequacy of financing public schools, and while the justices didn’t put a pricetag on what it will cost, already the low-ball estimates are about $535 million and the big estimates are in the $700 million-and-up range.
Now, that’s got nothing to do with the state budget deficit of about $270 million to finish out this fiscal year on June 30 with at least a couple bucks in the bank, which hasn’t been dealt with yet. Starting July 1, the state is going to need another $500 million or so for the Fiscal Year 2018 budget just to keep its doors open.