The Kansas House today passed a school finance bill only hours after its passage by the Kansas Senate.
On a 92-31 vote, the House approved the same bill as the Senate.
According to debate on the floor, the House members today were told they could not make amendments to the school finance bill and only had an up or down vote. The bill went through a House committee on March 23. The Legislature plans to adjourn today for a month. During the debate it was disclosed that an attorney had been paid $50,000 for advice on making sure the bill met the Kansas Supreme Court’s order.
The debate was emotional at times.
Republicans talked about the need to pass the bill quickly in order to keep schools open in the fall, while Democrats said it was an $83 million statewide property tax increase shifting the burden of school taxation from the state to the local school districts.
“We had a chance to put $38 million into the formula,” said House Minority Leader Tom Burroughs, D-33rd Dist. “Some chose not to do that. Some chose to put an $83 million property tax increase into a new formula. I will be voting no.”
Democrats cited the bill’s failure to address underlying constitutional problems of inequity and concern of school closing in June because of the Legislature’s mismanagement of taxpayer dollars and public education.
“Republicans in the Legislature continue to short-change our students and our schools by refusing to adequately fund education,” Burroughs stated. “This bill fails to get more money into the classroom, which is what our schools desperately need.”
Rep. Val Winn, D-34th Dist., after asking the bill’s backers several questions, said that wealthier school districts still would have the ability under this law to use additional resources to provide greater educational opportunities. No matter how the “hold harmless” provision is framed, in the end there will not be equalization under the bill, she said.
Rep. Burroughs stated the bill allocates no new dollars for public education, but just redistributed existing dollars in an attempt to meet the equity standard.
“The hold harmless provision in this bill allows wealthier school districts to retain more resources, and is counter to the purpose of equalization,” Rep. Burroughs stated. “All Kansas school children, regardless of where they live in the state, deserve access to a high-quality education.”
Democrats also expressed concern that Kansans could see their property taxes increase, yet again, as a result of this bill. “The state continues to shirk its responsibility to fund public education, meanwhile local property tax owners will pick up the bill to a tune of $83 million.” Rep. Burroughs stated.
“The Kansas Legislature has been underfunding our schools for years,” Rep. Burroughs stated. “It’s time to stop playing games and kicking the problem down the road. We need to solve the problem once and for all; we owe it to the next generation of Kansans.”
Republicans took an opposite viewpoint.
“To suggest we’re not adequately funding Kansas education from K to 12 is absurd,” said Rep. Jerry Lunn, R-Overland Park. Spending for education has been up over $4 million for the last four years a t time when all other spending for services are dropping, he said.
He did not believe that more money was the solution to it. He said there has been no correlation between the money spent and the test scores.
Rep. Melissa Rooker, R-Fairway, said it was a “Hobson’s choice,” and that while they needed to vote now to keep the schools open, the topic deserves more time and more deliberation, with a more holistic approach needed.