Some Republicans in the Kansas Legislature want to rewrite the school finance formula, and this session there could be a renewed effort to do just that.
In an interview this month, Governor Sam Brownback said he’ll push to revamp the formula that dictates how state tax dollars are distributed to public schools.
“It’s gotten so convoluted because each year it’s been amended or tweaked. It’s time to do a whole redo of the school finance formula,” says Brownback.
Not everyone is convinced that starting from scratch is a good idea.
The top Democrat in the Kansas Senate, Anthony Hensley, says the state already has a good school finance formula; it just needs to be properly funded. The Topeka lawmaker is also concerned about revamping the formula while the courts are considering a lawsuit over education funding.