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Kansas Senate Committee Advances School Funding Proposal

Senator Ty Masterson speaking at a committee meeting this week. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)
Senator Ty Masterson speaking at a committee meeting this week. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)

A Kansas Senate committee has advanced a bill in response to a state Supreme Court ruling on school funding. The court says there are unconstitutional disparities between districts that need to be addressed or justices could close public schools.

Republican Senator Ty Masterson pushed for the bill, which simply redistributes existing state funds among schools. He says he doesn't like the proposal much, but he believes it complies with the court ruling.


“I think it does show the court that the Legislature is trying to say OK and come up with a solution, because we don’t want schools closed,” says Masterson.

 

Because the bill shuffles money around, some districts end up with more, others with less.  Democratic Senator Laura Kelly says that’s probably not what the court had in mind.


“I think we just need to grow up and do our job, which is to adequately fund our schools. We have not been and I think we’re making a very cynical response to the court,” says Kelly.

 

A Kansas House committee considered a plan to add additional funding to schools, but didn’t take a vote on the measure because multiple Republicans criticized the plan.

 

 

 

 

Stephen Koranda is KPR's Statehouse reporter.