Overland Park ? An appeals court has revived a school finance lawsuit filed by some northeast Kansas parents.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver on Thursday reversed a lower court dismissal of a lawsuit filed by parents in the Shawnee Mission School District.

The parents want a judge to lift a state cap on local option school budgets so district patrons can raise their taxes to support local schools.

U.S. District Judge John Lungstrum dismissed the lawsuit in March 2011. He agreed with state officials, who argued that ending the cap on local option taxes would cause the state’s school funding system to collapse.

The Kansas City Star reports the appellate court ruled the court must hear the case to determine if the cap is constitutional.