Kansas governor lauds school funding plan
Posted on: Wednesday, 10 May 2006, 15:21 CDT
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius indicated on Wednesday she will sign into law a legislative compromise plan that will increase school funding by $466 million over three years.
However, the funding plan might not be enough to stop school districts from seeking the additional money from the state's financing system.
Alan Rupe, an attorney representing school districts that successfully sued the state, said the latest funding increase did not satisfy a January 2005 Kansas Supreme Court ruling.
"It falls short of what the court ordered and what the plaintiffs expected," he said, adding that he will go back to the high court to suggest that the funding plan was not sufficient.
The Republican-controlled legislature passed a conference committee agreement on school funding Tuesday night in a 21-18 Senate vote and 66-54 House vote. Both chambers had previously passed bills with different funding levels.
The governor said she had pushed for a three-year plan that followed the guidelines laid out in a legislative cost study and said in a statement that "92nd day of the session, that vision became a reality."
Primary and secondary public schools would get a $194 million funding boost in fiscal 2007, which begins July 1. Funding would increase by $149 million in fiscal 2008 and by $122.7 million in fiscal 2009, according to the conference committee report.
The extra money would be generated by existing state revenue sources at their current rates.
Lawmakers were under the gun to find more money for schools after the state high court ruled that they failed to meet their responsibility under the state constitution to suitably fund schools. Justices ordered a funding increase last year, which resulted in lawmakers giving schools a $289 million boost in the current state budget.
The state's general fund spending on schools is about $2.6 billion.
The lawsuit that led to the court directive for more school money was filed in 1999 by districts in Salina and Dodge City.
Source: REUTERS
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