Topeka ? Kansas school districts have given more than $3 million to a nonprofit organization that funded a lawsuit against the state for more education funding, but it is unclear how the money was spent.

Since 1998, 19 Kansas school districts reported contributing $3.2 million to Schools for Fair Funding, a nonprofit that sued the state after the Legislature approved only small funding increases to the education budget.

The Kansas Supreme Court dismissed the group’s lawsuit last month after more than $800 million in new funding for public schools was approved by the Legislature.

Responding to open records requests, school district officials said they either didn’t know how the money for the legal services was spent or needed more time to research the matter.

Records requested of all 300 Kansas school districts in the state showed 19 paid the organization a total of $3,204,217.

Some of the districts turned over billing statements from the nonprofit, but those documents did not say how the group spent the money.

One district superintendent said the Schools for Fair Funding’s spending was protected by attorney-client privilege.

“We feel it is money well spent,” said Don Adkisson, director of finance for the Derby school district.

The Derby school district has paid $325,000 to the organization during the past eight years, the second-most of any district, but Adkisson said no records exist showing how Schools for Fair Funding has spent the money.

“The only thing we get in the mail is our annual billings,” Adkisson said.

State lawmakers have criticized the group for spending millions of taxpayer dollars on attorneys and not turning over financial records.

In July, a newspaper filed a lawsuit that argued that Schools for Fair Funding Inc. was a public agency because it is funded by tax dollars and must follow the rules of the Kansas Open Records Act.

The newspaper refused an offer from Fair Funding’s attorney, Alan Rupe, for access to some of its records in exchange for dropping its lawsuit.

Former Emporia school board President Jeff Larson said the board has never been approached with any concerns. The Emporia district has given the organization $260,417 since 1998.

“Frankly, I think the patrons in Emporia for the most part are pleased with where we’ve been,” Larson said.

He said the board decides each year whether to continue its involvement in the organization and has access to financial documents from the group.

Last year, the Legislature’s education funding increase for the district totaled $3 million, and $2 million for the coming school year.