$750 million the maximum for schools, top Democrat on education panel says

The top Democrat helping to develop a new formula to fund Kansas schools says a $750 million increase over five years is likely the biggest amount possible. But an attorney for districts suing the state says that is not enough.

The House K-12 Budget Committee worked on the proposal on Monday but did not change the funding level. Attorney John Robb, who represents Wichita and other districts that are part of the Gannon school finance lawsuit, called for a larger increase.

An increase greater than $750 million would have difficulty clearing the committee, said Rep. Ed Trimmer, D-Winfield and the ranking minority member on the panel.

“The reality of this place is you have to get something that will pass out and (you can) deal with. If you’re unrealistic, it never makes it out of committee,” Trimmer said.

Robb, who represents Schools for Fair Funding, said the amount and time frame are inadequate. He endorsed a State Board of Education proposal calling for an increase of $893 million over two years.

“Five years is being done solely because they don’t want to raise enough taxes to meet their obligations,” Robb said.

The Kansas Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the state’s current finance formula inadequately funds education. The justices cited academic underperformance by a quarter of Kansas students.

The court set a June 30 deadline for lawmakers to put a new system in place.

The school finance proposal, House Bill 2410, boosts the base aid for students each year for the next five school years. It also funds all-day kindergarten and puts more money into early childhood funding, according to the Kansas State Department of Education.

Wichita’s school district, the largest in the state, would see an increase of almost $12.5 million in general state aid under the plan. Officials in Wichita estimate $8.2 million in additional expenses next school year because of increases for costs such as utilities, fuel, insurance and software licenses.

The past two years, Wichita officials have approved a calendar with fewer but longer school days, a controversial move intended to trim about $3 million annually from the district’s $662 million budget.

Last week, Jeff King, an attorney advising the Legislature, told the committee that, broadly, the more money lawmakers put into the formula, the less likely the Supreme Court will find problems in it. However, the court will expect funding to be more highly targeted toward underperforming and at-risk students if lawmakers put fewer dollars toward the formula.

On Monday, the committee approved an amendment intended to ensure schools receiving at-risk funding use the money for underperforming students.

Rep. Melissa Rooker, R-Fairway, said she expects the committee to discuss the funding level before voting on the plan. She noted work on school finance is affected by the ongoing tax discussions. A few tax increase plans have surfaced over the past week, but none have been debated.

The committee’s work on school finance comes as lawmakers are struggling to agree on how to fill a projected budget shortfall of about $900 million over the next two years. The Legislature passed a bill in March that would have raised $1 billion over two years by raising personal income tax rates, reinstating a third tax bracket and once again taxing certain kinds of business income.

Gov. Sam Brownback vetoed that plan, and the Legislature did not override his veto. Since then, lawmakers have frequently been at odds over what approach to take.

“When you look at the bigger impasse we’re at as a Legislature trying to find the balance between a tax plan that can be supported in both the House and Senate given the likelihood of the numbers needing to be veto-override numbers, I think the political reality steps into play where the appropriation amount is concerned,” Rooker said.

“And I don’t know where we’re headed with that, but I don’t think we can be doing our work without regard for how we manage to find consensus on the tax plan that will support it.”

The bill faces a long path before it becomes law. The House and Senate must both approve it, and senators may make changes, which would trigger negotiations to find a compromise.

Senate Republican leaders have chosen not to develop a separate plan in the Senate and instead are wait for the House to work on it. Still, school finance is on the minds of senators.

King, who was Senate vice president before leaving the Legislature last year, spoke Monday afternoon to a Senate Republican caucus meeting that was also attended by Democrats. He emphasized the importance of funding going toward at-risk students.

He also suggested lawmakers consider a formula that would tie regular increases in funding to increased costs. One method would be to index funding to inflation.

“An index is vital,” King said.

This story was originally published May 8, 2017 at 6:59 PM with the headline "$750 million the maximum for schools, top Democrat on education panel says."