Many expected more drama than actually emerged today (WED) as a Kansas House committee put the finishing touches on a school funding bill. In the end, the K-12 Budget Committee stood firm on an additional $150 million a year over the next five years, for a total of $750 million in new spending for public schools. Republican Melissa Rooker from Fairway tried to bump spending up by $20 million, but that proposal failed. Still, she says she's pleased with what passed:
There's a good chance that when the bill reaches the House floor after lawmakers take a three-week break, moderate Republicans and Democrats will argue that spreading $750 million over five years won't be enough to satisfy the Kansas Supreme Court, which has ruled that the state's school funding is currently inadequate.