Organizers of a protest at the State Capitol in June demanding more money for public schools plan to launch a petition drive to require the state to increase funding for schools and universities by no less than the rate of inflation next year. If the drive nets a sufficient number of valid signatures, and if the Legislature then fails to vote on the issue, the issue will automatically go on the November 2006 ballot. "A lock-tight budget guarantee for any specific cause is questionable public policy," writes columnist Chris Christoff. "But if you like making legislators squirm, you'll root for the school funding proposal." Christoff speculates on whether the Legislature might write its own funding guarantee for schools in order "to avoid the political heat of a citizen-led ballot issue." He says legislators may first wait to see if the petition drive is successful.