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It's tough to please everyone and state lawmakers are finding that out the hard way this legislative session. An education funding bill designed to help create equity among schools statewide now has superintendents in Western North Dakota protesting at the capitol. Donnell Preskey explains why... It may be the one of the last chances these school administrators get to talk to legislators face to face... (Murray Kline, Alexander Supt.) We're here because this is life or death for us as far as we are concerned. There are 48 school superintendents who've signed a complaint that says Senate Bill 2200 will not give them adequate funding to educate their kids. (John Pretzer, Scranton Supt.) As bill comes to a close more of us are concerned of how it is not fair. Especially not fair for small schools. Too much disparity between schools with 150 students and those with 1500 students. The new funding formula pays schools for the number of students they have. It hurts many schools in Western North Dakota that have a lot of property but not a lot of students. The bill also takes oil, gas and coal revenues from one district and spreads it across the state. (Rep. Bob Hunskor, (D) Newburg) Senate bill 2200 addresses equity, and in the process of addressing equity, the property poor schools are coming up with some pretty big money, the property rich schools are not coming up with enough funds to educate their kids for the next two years. (Rep. Rae Ann Kelsch) The reason it works out that way is that some of these school districts that don't have local wealth to put behind their students have been struggling to make ends meet for all these years, now as we try to bring them closer in equity then some schools are going to have less of the income wealth and some will receive more. Some administrators say it will be difficult to pay bills and give teachers raises with the small percentage they'd get. (Murray Kline, Alexander Supt.) If it passes the way it is, we believe there's not enough money coming our way to keep open. It costs x amount of dollars to keep a school building open regardless of having 150 kids or in my case 45 kids. Lawmakers continue to work on the Education funding bill trying to find a balance between fairness and equity. In Bismarck, Donnell Preskey, KX News. The current version of the legislation raises the minimum amount of state funding per student by 2 and a half percent in 2008 and at least another 4 and a half percent in 2009. A conference committee is still working on the senate bill.