HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The USD 308 Board of Education formally closed out the 2015-16 school year Monday at its final meeting of the year.

Included in the end-of-year work were final budget transfers for the district.

Because of action taken last week in Topeka by the Kansas Legislature, the district did not have to take actions that could have delayed the start of the 2016-17 school year. Superintendent Dr. Shelly Kiblinger told the board legislation approved last Friday is expected to meet the expectations of the Kansas Supreme Court. The court had ruled in late May that a fix to state funding still was not equitable for schools.

Dr. Kiblinger said the legislative action was a win for students because services would not be disrupted and for district taxpayers.

“Basically, schools will receive the full amount of LOB (local option budget) and capital outlay equalization they were entitled to before the block grants,” Dr. Kiblinger said in a memorandum to district staff earlier Monday. “The LOB equalization is a win for taxpayers. It does not impact how much money schools receive, but it means more comes from the state general fund instead of through our local property taxes.

“The district will see a slight increase in our capital outlay equalization. This slight increase will allow the district to continue its replacement cycles for building roofs and technology.”

USD 308 is one of the plaintiff districts in a lawsuit that alleges state funding for K-12 education in Kansas is both inequitable and inadequate. The Kansas Supreme Court will consider further arguments on the adequacy of state funding for schools later this year.