Topeka ? Stay on target.

That admonition is coming from state leaders as the Legislature, under court order, slogs toward a school finance plan.

The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled the school funding system is unconstitutional because it shortchanges all students, especially those in low-income areas.

The court accepted a $290 million increase last year as a down payment on another increase guided by a cost study done by the Legislative Division of Post Audit.

That cost study says schools need an additional minimum of $400 million now, and the funds should be focused on urban districts that have high percentages of poor children.

“That really is the road map,” Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said of the Post Audit study.

“Right now it’s important to stay as much with the Legislative Post Audit study and find a way we can get 63 votes in the House and 21 in the Senate,” Sebelius said, referring to majorities in the two chambers.

Lawmakers meeting in the wrap-up legislative session have three plans before them.

One approved in the House by a coalition of Democrats and Republicans who rebelled against their leaders would cost $633 million over three years.

A Senate-approved plan would cost $466 million over three years.

And a new proposal pushed by House Republican leaders emerged that would cost $400 million over three years.

Alan Rupe, lead attorney for the plaintiff school districts that won the lawsuit, said the House’s $633 million plan was acceptable, but not the others.

“Everybody seems to be chipping away at Legislative Post Audit,” Rupe said. He noted that if the court doesn’t like what the Legislature does on school finance, its fallback position is to implement a 2001 cost-study, which called for an increase of nearly $600 million.

Under the House plan, Lawrence would receive $2.5 million in additional state funds during the next school year. It also allows school districts the additional authority to increase local taxes.

Although the Senate plan is less expensive overall, the Lawrence district would receive a $2.8 million increase because of the way the funds are distributed. The Senate plan, however, doesn’t authorize local tax increases.

A district-by-district breakdown of the House Republican leadership plan was not available. The proposal may be considered by the full House as early as today.

But leaders of the House Democrat and rebel Republican coalition said they thought their votes would stick together and that they would defeat that smaller plan and substitute it with the earlier $633 million measure.

“We are prepared to have our amendment ready and offer it on the floor and reaffirm the prior action that the House took on school finance,” said Rep. Ward Loyd, R-Garden City.