TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) — Lawmakers in the House and Senate Judiciary Committees will begin discussion Thursday to fix the state’s school funding formula.

Representative John Carmichael, D-Wichita, is on the House Judiciary Committee and says they will have two days of hearings, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the Statehouse.

He says one of the proposals is to remove the Supreme Court’s power to enforce its orders with respect to school finance.

“I expect there’s going to be some fireworks,” said Rep. Carmichael.

The hearing is in response to a Supreme Court decision that the state school funding formula is unconstitutional and inequitable. Lawmakers will have to come up with $38M to make funding constitutional, and put more money into poor districts.

“What the Kansas Supreme Court has done is in line with what virtually every other court presented in the nation with this type of a problem has done, so I’m not at all surprised by the court’s ruling,” said Rep. Carmichael.

Last week, Gov. Brownback signed a proclamation for a Special Session that will begin on June 23; That gives lawmakers seven days to come up with a solution before the Supreme Court shuts down schools on July 1.

“Some of us are going to be vocal about this tomorrow,” said Rep. Carmichael.

http://www.wibw.com/content/news/State-Judiciary-Committees-to-begin-discussions-on-school-funding-Thursday-383212611.html