Overland Park ? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday hinted she would call lawmakers into a special session if they didn’t increase funding for schools.

“I am not going to stop fighting for this effort until they leave town for the final time — and I haven’t decided whether I’ll call them back a time or two,” Sebelius said to about 100 people at a rally for school funding at Johnson County Community College.

Later, Sebelius said she hadn’t ruled out the possibility of a special session on school funding.

“This is really a serious issue, and as I watch the debate going on around the state with schools slashing their budgets, it becomes even more critical that we do something,” she said.

Sebelius, a Democrat, has proposed an increase in the state sales, income and property taxes to fund a $304 million increase for schools over three years.

Last week, the package was defeated in the Senate; a smaller version of it was picking up steam in the House until Republican leaders pulled the plug on debate. In addition to legislative battles, a state district judge has declared the school funding system unconstitutional because it is underfunded and the method of distributing state aid discriminates against minority students.

Sebelius told the crowd to contact legislators and tell them to vote for increased funding for schools.

“They’re in session, and they are listening whether they want to or not, and they are all up for hire or fire come November,” Sebelius said.

Adela Solis, a fourth-grade teacher at Cordley School, was handing out signs at the rally. “It is terribly important for the public to support the governor and the governor’s plan,” she said.

Richard Heckler, a Lawrence parent, also attended the rally. He said schools were cutting courses and teachers were using their own money to buy supplies. “I think we need to raise the necessary taxes to support our school system,” he said.

Several House members and State Board of Education members who have supported tax increases for schools attended the rally, which was sponsored by Kansas Families United for Public Education.

Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said Sebelius, who is visiting several cities this week to drum up support for schools, was “doing exactly what she needs to do by calling on the public to lobby the Legislature.”