The Kansas Supreme Court threatened Thursday to shut down schools if lawmakers don't revamp the way the state funds public schools by July, ruling that a law enacted last year as a temporary fix underfunded poor school districts by at least $54 million.
 
The high court unanimously decided that the Republican-backed law violates the Kansas Constitution's requirement that the state finance a suitable education for every student. The court gave lawmakers just four months to devise another system for distributing more than $4 billion in state funding to 286 public schools.

Kansas House Speaker Ray Merrick said the court was holding taxpayers and schoolchildren hostage. A fellow Republican, Sen. Jeff Melcher, called the decision a "temper tantrum."

"It's kind of one of those things, 'Give us the money, or the kid gets it,'" Melcher said.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback called it a ruling from an "activist" court but added, "We will review this decision closely and work with the Legislature to ensure the continued success of our great Kansas schools."

The decision stems from a lawsuit that four school districts have been pursuing since 2010. The districts say the state's funding method hurts poor schools and disadvantaged and minority students the most.

In response to the lawsuit, legislators approved a $140 million increase in education funding in 2014. But the estimated cost of that aid for the 2014-15 school year skyrocketed by $54 million under the state's per-student formula for distributing funding.