TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- The presiding judge in a Kansas school finance lawsuit has told attorneys in the case not to expect a ruling until around the first of the year.

Shawnee County District Court Judge Franklin Theis (Tice) has sent a letter to attorneys representing school districts and a Wichita attorney defending the state to update them on his timetable for a decision.

The judge says it was initially thought a decision could come by Dec. 1, but the amount of material to review and the time it is taking to write a ruling has pushed the deadline back.

The school districts are asking the judges to rule that the state is failing to fulfill its constitutional duty to adequately fund public school districts.