New education commission begins work

? The increased use of statewide and national tests to gauge student achievement has paved the way for court intervention in school funding cases, the attorney who defends the State Board of Education said Monday.

Dan Biles told the newly formed 2010 Commission that courts across the nation, including the Kansas Supreme Court, “have become more comfortable looking at the education process.”

He said that trend has arisen in part because state and national lawmakers have demanded accountability from schools through student testing.

“It’s not a huge jump,” Biles said for courts to figure out that if lawmakers can hold schools accountable through test results, the judiciary can hold legislatures accountable, too.

“It’s letting a judge say, ‘I can figure out if a system is doing what it should be doing,'” he said.

He was responding to a question from Dennis Jones of Lakin, a member of the commission, who asked what authority the Kansas Supreme Court used earlier this year when it ordered the Legislature to increase school funding.

The state Supreme Court had ruled the school finance system unconstitutional because it shortchanged all students, especially minorities and those with disabilities.

The rulings resulted in a $290 million increase, approximately 10 percent, in school funding, and the court has said it may order more funding to ensure that all students have access to a suitable education.

As part of school finance legislation adopted last summer in a special session, the Legislature established the 2010 Commission to advise it on education issues. Monday was the panel’s first working meeting.

Chairwoman Rochelle Chronister said the commission had broad goals. “Not only will we work on the school finance formula and funding, we’ll help the Legislature with the court,” she said.