"If they can find the dollars to fund a lawsuit, I don't think they're in as bad a shape as they say they're in," state Rep. Joe McLeland, R-Wichita, said about a proposal to add $5 million to the state court system by taking the money away from school districts that are suing the state over inadequate funding. Such a comment reflects an incredible ignorance and disregard for the impact of school budget cuts. Penalizing districts that sue also would be unconstitutional, as they have the right to appeal to the courts. Then again, McLeland and many other lawmakers haven't seemed to care about what the state's constitution says about funding schools — or about what their own legislative studies and the Kansas Supreme Court have said. So at least they are being consistent.
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