Governor Sam Brownback and some GOP lawmakers have made rewriting the state's school funding formula one of their top priorities. But at the midpoint of the 2015 session, there's still no plan in place. The Associated Press reports that a proposal may come as soon as this week.
Mark Tallman, with the Kansas Association of School Boards, says the delay could be due to the complexity of the issue.
“I think they’re finding out how complicated this system is going to be. I think that tells us how complicated it will be to come up with a new formula of any kind,” says Tallman.
Governor Brownback has proposed moving to a block grant system while a new formula is under construction. Republicans in the Legislature have expressed frustration over unexpected cost increases and want a simpler, more certain plan.
Tallman says his organization is waiting to pass judgment until a proposal is unveiled.
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(VERSION TWO)
Governor Sam Brownback and some GOP lawmakers have made rewriting the state's school funding formula one of their top priorities, but they haven’t yet released a plan halfway through the legislative session.
Governor Brownback has pushed for moving to a block grant system while a new formula is under construction. The Associated Press says a block grant plan may come as soon as this week.
Mark Tallman, with the Kansas Association of School Boards, says the delay shows that the issue of school funding isn’t simple.
“I think what we’re seeing here is simply that even just trying to hold things in place is a very complex thing to do,” says Tallman.
Republicans in the Legislature have expressed frustration over unexpected cost increases and they want a simpler, more certain plan.
Tallman says his organization is waiting to pass judgment until a proposal is unveiled.
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(VERSION THREE)
Kansas Lawmakers have passed the halfway point in the 2015 session without unveiling a proposal to rewrite the state’s school funding formula. Governor Sam Brownback has proposed an overhaul, but first he says lawmakers should freeze spending and issue block grants to schools. As KPR’s Stephen Koranda reports, a proposal could be coming soon.
(SCRIPT)
Governor Brownback and some Republicans have been unhappy with unexpected cost increases for Kansas education. A block grant proposal would give them time to write a new plan while keeping funding steady.
But Mark Tallman, with the Kansas Association of School Boards, has some concerns about freezing funding. He says with the current budget deficit, it could be difficult to even freeze spending where it is.
“We’ve been focusing a lot on this idea of saying ‘well, we want to give you some stability.’ But right now, the state budget hasn’t had much stability,” says Tallman.
Tallman says freezing funding might also make it difficult for schools to deal with changes like growing enrollment.