Topeka ? Now that a price tag has been put on the cost of a constitutional education, state leaders will meet today to decide what to do next.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, and House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, will discuss the school cost study during a private meeting at 4 p.m. in the governor’s office.

The analysis by the Legislative Division of Post Audit gave lawmakers options of increasing funds to public schools from $400 million to $470 million, and upward of $624 million if the state wants to reduce class sizes.

Sebelius has said the cost study will be the No. 1 topic of discussion during the meeting.

Policymakers have been poring over the 300-page study since it was released Monday at the start of the 2006 legislative session.

Last year, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled the school finance system was underfunded and inequitable, and ordered an increase in funding. The Legislature approved a $290 million increase in the $3 billion system and commissioned the cost study.

The court accepted the $290 million as a temporary solution and said it would await the study’s findings to determine what was needed next.

Now that the cost study has been done, Speaker Mays said Sebelius, a Democrat, needed to put together a school finance proposal.

“We do expect her to come up with a proposal. I really think this is the year that she needs to do that,” Mays said.

Republicans have complained that Sebelius has not been engaged on school finance issues, an allegation the governor denies.

Sebelius has said she will work with legislators to put an education package together.

“I continue to believe what I hear from CEOs and parents and others, that this is the most important job that we have,” she said.

Morris said he looked forward to working with leaders of both parties “to arrive at a responsible, sustainable solution to our school finance needs.”

Sebelius, Morris and Mays all have said that a “multiyear” approach is preferable.

But Alan Rupe, the attorney representing plaintiff school districts in the long-running lawsuit, said the Kansas Supreme Court has indicated it is not willing to accept a phased-in approach to reaching a constitutionally funded school system.

“Given what the Kansas Supreme Court has said, I think we are talking in the $400 million to $600 million range as an amount that is acceptable,” Rupe said.

“This is the study the Kansas Supreme Court indicated could be done and utilized this session. So I guess my thought is the Legislature just needs to roll up their sleeves, and just do it and adopt what they have commissioned to be done by Legislative Division of Post Audit,” he said.