The House and Senate have yet to reach a compromise on a bill that would trim spending for the current fiscal year. A proposal that passed the Senate includes around 25 million dollars for special education that wasn’t included in the House version. If the state doesn’t put up the money, Kansas could lose around 25 million dollars per year in federal funding that helps pay for special education. A House proposal would transfer money from K through 12 school funding to cover the special education deficit. But Senate President Steve Morris, a Hugoton Republican, opposes that plan, saying education has already taken significant cuts.
House members want the state to end the fiscal year in June with as much money saved as possible. The goal is to use that funding to help cover a shortfall for next fiscal year, projected at around 500 million dollars.