Alva Review-Courier -

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' Republican-led Legislature gave its final approval Thursday to a public school funding increase that the state's Democratic governor is pushing as the way to end a protracted education funding lawsuit, although it remains unclear if there is enough money to do the job.

The House voted 76-47 to approve a bill containing Gov. Laura Kelly's proposal for an increase of roughly $90 million a year, and the Senate approved it on a 31-8 vote. The measure ties the new money to several education policy changes favored by GOP lawmakers, including a requirement for a new one-page online performance report on each public school.

"The Kansas Legislature took an important step today towards addressing the needs of our students, supporting our teachers and fully funding our schools," Kelly said in a statement immediately after the Senate's vote.

Four school districts sued the state over education funding in 2010, and the Kansas Supreme Court has issued six rulings directing lawmakers to increase the state's spending in a little more than five years, so that aid to public schools now tops $4 billion a year. The court said in an order last year that a 2018 law promising additional funding increases into the future wasn't sufficient because it hadn't accounted for inflation.

The court gave the state's attorneys until April 15 to file a written report on lawmakers' response. The school districts' lawyers and lobbyists have signaled for weeks that they don't view the increase as sufficient after the 2019-20 school year.

"Worst-case scenario, all it does is buy us another year," said Rep. Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat who serves on the education funding committee. "Best case scenario is the court says, 'That's a good faith effort and we'll monitor the case over the next few years.'"

But Ward, other Democrats and Republicans who support the bill see passing Kelly's proposal as preferable, given an implied threat with each Supreme Court ruling that it could shut down schools if it finds that funding remains insufficient under the state constitution. Legislators are scheduled to start their annual spring break Saturday and return May 1 — after the court's deadline — to wrap up business for the year.

"It's something that the Supreme Court forced on us," said Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, a Kansas City-area Republican. "We had to act so our schools remained open."

Some Republicans, particularly conservatives, question whether the state will be able to sustain Kelly's proposed new spending without a future tax increase. GOP leaders also pushed a tax relief bill designed to prevent individuals and businesses from paying more in state income taxes because of changes in federal tax laws at the end of 2017, which the governor vetoed.

But most Senate Republicans lined up behind Kelly's plan last month after the school districts suing the state initially supported it, then withdrew their endorsement and called for higher spending after the 2019-2020 school year. House GOP leaders wanted to earmark much of the new money to programs for at-risk students but relented Wednesday when it became clear senators would not budge in negotiations.

Backers of the bill hope a show of bipartisan support will persuade the Supreme Court to find Kelly's plan acceptable.

"I think it's the best we can do right now," said Rep. Jim Karleskint, a moderate Kansas City-area Republican and former school superintendent.

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Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna .