Republicans on a Kansas House committee shot down a school funding proposal Thursday. The plan would have added and redistributed money to reduce funding disparities between school districts. The Kansas Supreme Court says lawmakers must address disparities by this summer or schools could be closed.
Several Republican lawmakers criticized the bill for going back to an old system for equalization. Representative Marc Rhoades says that formula can’t fix funding disparities.
“No amount of money will do that. The idea that we can equalize all the schools is fatally flawed foundationally. As long as we’re having that discussion, we are chasing our tail,” says Rhoades.
The Kansas Senate did advance a bill to address the court ruling. It would simply redistribute school funding without adding any new money.