A resolution aimed at discouraging a lawsuit by school districts against the state of Kansas is heading for a Senate debate.

The measure on Tuesday's Senate calendar attempts to scold school districts for using taxpayer dollars to finance litigation aimed at getting more state funding.

Republican Sen. Dick Kelsey of Goddard pushed the idea earlier in the session after 74 school districts filed a petition with the Kansas Supreme Court seeking to reopen a 2006 court ruling. That ruling declared the school finance formula unconstitutional, prompting legislators to increase funding for school districts by $1 billion.

But with the state facing a $416 million budget gap, Kelsey and others say the money spent on lawsuits could be better spent on the classroom.