There will probably be more than one school funding plan on the table when Kansas lawmakers return to Topeka for the special session.
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback says lawmakers might add $38 million in education funding to comply with a court ruling that says school funding needs to be more equitable. The Senate’s vice president, Republican Jeff King, says they may consider adding school aid for poorer districts to comply with the Supreme Court, but he expects there will also be other options in the mix.
“I think there’ll be a plan going down that path. I think there will be a couple of other plans that don’t spend $38 million in new money. We will have to evaluate all of those options and decide which approach to take,” says King.
Brownback says if they do add millions in spending for poorer districts, it would likely need to be taken from other state agency budgets or other types of education funding.
Lawmakers return to the Statehouse June 23rd for a special session focused on school spending.