Kansas lawmakers consider reverting to school finance system from 1859

Correction: The Kansas Constitution was amended in 1966 to require the state to provide suitable education funding. The state’s constitution, first known as the Wyandotte Constitution, was drawn up in 1859 and was in place when Kansas was admitted to the union as a free state in January 1861. An earlier version of this story was incorrect about the date of the state constitution’s enactment.

Should Kansas lawmakers revert to the school finance system the state had in 1859?

Lawmakers studied an analysis Friday of how school districts would fare if the state distributed its $4 billion in education aid solely on a per-pupil basis — as it did under the 1859 Wyandotte Constitution.

That came at the request of Sen. Greg Smith, R-Overland Park.

This pre-Civil War system would eliminate the additional funding districts receive for students who speak English as a second language, have special needs or are living in poverty.

The result would be very good for the Shawnee Mission school district, which Smith represents and works for as a history teacher. That district would gain $37 million if the state reverted to this system.

The Wichita school district, on the other hand, would stand to lose $21 million.

“Doesn’t sound like a very good idea to me,” remarked Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita.

Smith, who brought a copy of the text of 1859 constitutional convention to hearings held this week by the Senate and House Judiciary committees, said the analysis was intended to start a discussion about what constitutes equitable funding.

“That’s equity,” Smith said. “Before we can do any kind of monetary amount, we need to know what equity is. That’s equity according to the original constitution of the state of Kansas, so that has to be the starting point unless we come up with a new definition.”

Kansas’ constitution was amended in 1966 to require the state to provide suitable education funding. The state faces a court order to fix inequities in that funding by June 30 to prevent a shutdown of the state’s schools.

Wichita stands to gain millions in state aid, if lawmakers approve one option for a fix identified by the court. Shawnee Mission and other Johnson County districts could experience a drop in funding.

This story was originally published June 17, 2016 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Kansas lawmakers consider reverting to school finance system from 1859."