Topeka ? The amount of money a state spends on its schools per pupil is not the sole factor in how well students perform, a Stanford University researcher testified Wednesday.

Attorneys for the state called Eric Hanushek as an expert witness in a lawsuit against the Kansas school finance system. A trial over that lawsuit was in its eighth day in Shawnee County District Court. Hanushek was the final witness for the defense, which began its case Monday.

Judge Terry Bullock asked attorneys to present briefs outlining why he should rule a particular way and return to court later this fall for final arguments. Testimony ended Wednesday, but Bullock did not set the date to hear closing arguments.

Hanushek, a senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, has studied school finance and student performance for 30 years and advised President Bush on the federal No Child Left Behind reform law.

Testimony from Hanushek was designed to rebut allegations that Kansas neither spends enough money on its public schools nor distributes the money fairly. Attorneys sued the state in 1999 on behalf of parents and administrators in the Dodge City and Salina school districts.

Hanushek said that increasing spending on schools helped improve students’ performance if the money was spent wisely but that the key ingredient was the quality of classroom teachers.

Bullock, who asked questions frequently of witnesses throughout the trial, said that seemed a reasonable conclusion, adding: “Anybody could see this. It’s not rocket science.”