Don’t hold your breath waiting for a quick resolution of an ongoing lawsuit between more than 50 school districts and the state.
That was the message Friday shared with representatives from 52 districts, all of which are suing the state because of what they consider unfair cuts in public education funding.
Iola’s USD 257 is one of the plaintiffs in the Schools For Fair Funding coalition, which is behind the suit.
Brian Pekarek, USD 257 superintendent of schools, sat in on a meeting Friday in Newton among coalition members.
A three-judge panel is hearing evidence from the plaintiffs, who contend the state has violated the Kansas Constitution by cutting back in school funding in recent years.
The cutbacks were necessary, state officials counter, because of declining state revenue.
Pekarek said regardless of how the judges rules, an appeal is a virtual certainty, either by the coalition or by the state.
An appeals case wouldn’t be heard until next August at the earliest, Pekarek said.
Pekarek estimated the earliest possible resolution to the case would be in 2014.
The judges have plenty to sort through, Pekarek said, noting more than 1 million pages of various documents have been entered as evidence, as have 480 exhibits and testimony from 44 subjects.
