Colyer blames schools for state budget problems

What is the cause of the state’s budget problems? School funding, according to Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer. He told GOP supporters in Garden City last week that the state budget is “down a little bit, and the reason is because we’re spending more on K-12 than we ever have,” the Garden City Telegram reported. What about state income tax cuts, which caused tax collections to drop about $700 million last fiscal year? Colyer said a drop was expected. “We said from day one you’re going to see a valley and then you’re going to grow,” he said. “Nobody said it was going to go straight up.” Does he not remember Gov. Sam Brownback’s promise that the tax cuts would act “like a shot of adrenaline into the heart of the Kansas economy”? – Phillip Brownlee

This story was originally published April 9, 2015 at 7:05 PM.