Republican lawmakers in Kansas have earmarked $50,000 for the Legislature to hire its own attorneys on school finance issues.
The move had Democrats speculating Wednesday that GOP leaders plan to defy a recent state Supreme Court order on education funding. Top Republicans dismissed the allegation.
The money is included in the final version of a plan to keep the state budget balanced through June 2017, and both chambers approved the package Wednesday. The votes were 68-53 in the House and 22-16 in the Senate.
The Supreme Court last week struck down a 2015 law that determines how the state distributes more than $4 billion a year in aid to its 286 school districts. The justices said the law violates the state constitution by shorting poor districts.
