The Kansas House has given first-round approval to a bill allowing school districts to replace lost state dollars with money earmarked for other purposes. Currently, school districts have reserve funds with specific purposes, like building construction and bilingual education. The bill would allow schools to use that money for paying teachers and other education costs, in the hopes of replacing lost state dollars. House Speaker Mike O’Neal, a Hutchinson Republican, sponsored the bill.
Opponents say the move will create greater inequality between districts. That’s because some schools don’t have enough savings to replace all the state funding they’re likely to lose.