A long-running school finance case is proving costly for the state of Kansas and four school districts.

State Republican leaders argue money spent on the case could be used instead in classrooms. But an attorney for the Wichita school district argues the legal fees are small compared with the money on the line for the districts, which contend the state is not adequately funding schools.

The Wichita Eagle reports (http://bit.ly/1Tedd63) the state has spent $1.4 million on outside counsel, and that doesn’t include pay for eight attorneys in the attorney general’s office who have worked on the case since 2010.

The Wichita district has spent more than $1.6 million since 2010. The Kansas City, Kansas, Dodge City and Hutchinson districts also have spent thousands of dollars.

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Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com.