Kansas budget underfunds schools by $657 million in fiscal 2015

The two-year budget that Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has signed into law underfunds public schools by an estimated $657 million in the second year, according to an analysis by the state's Department of Education. The Lawrence Journal-World says the shortfall represents the difference between how much the legislature approved in various categories of K-12 education spending for fiscal year 2015 and how much is supposed to be spent according to the existing school funding formula. The Kansas Supreme Court is expected to address the funding shortfall later this year when it hears an appeal in a school finance lawsuit. A three-judge panel ruled earlier this year that the legislature had failed to meet its constitutional duty to provide suitable funding for public schools, and it ordered lawmakers to boost funding.