by Murrel Bland
The leadership of the Kansas Legislature has told its members not to make any summer vacation plans. The legislative session, which is only supposed to last 90 days and end in late spring, may well run into summer months.
This was one of the comments that came out of a legislative coffee Saturday morning, March 24, at the Bonner Springs Public Library. Legislators attending were State Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, R-Fifth Dist.; State Sen. Pat Pettey, D-Sixth Dist.; and State Rep. Tom Burroughs, D-33rd Dist. The sponsors of the coffee were the Johnson County League of Women Voters and the Bonner Springs NAACP.
This is an election year for members of the Kansas House of Representatives — all 125 seats are up. And one of the issues for both representatives and senators is how to pay for schools and other essential services such law enforcement, the court system, mental health services and prisons. The prospect of higher taxes is not particularly popular in an election year.
The Kansas Supreme Court has given legislators until Monday, April 30, to come up with a plan to fund K-12 Kansas public schools adequately. The Kansas City, Kansas, Public School District, is one of four districts suing the state, seeking more funds.
Republican legislators commissioned Lori Taylor, a University of Texas professor, to study the Kansas education situation and make recommendations. They were surprised when Taylor said that schools were substantially underfunded and that more than $2 billion more could be needed. This increase would be phased in over a five-year period.
David Smith, a spokesman for the Kansas City, Kansas, School District, said this consulting report, which cost more than $200,000, has inaccuracies including incorrect enrollment figures.
The current legislative budget is about $6 billion. Of that, about 60 percent is for education.
The Kansas Supreme Court has not set an amount to fund the schools. Sen. Fitzgerald, who has been quite critical of the court, has suggested that court members should determine the level of funding.
Sen. Pettey said she can trace the problem back to past years when state funding for education was cut and never has been restored. The consultant’s report suggested that funding, once increased, be indexed to the cost-of-living.
Legislators will be looking at those receiving sales tax exemptions as a possible new source of revenue.
Sen. Fitzgerald said he sees other serious critical areas that need funding such as highway maintenance and mental health. He said for several years, money intended for roads has gone to other places, starving the Kansas Department of Transportation. He said Don Ash, the Wyandotte County Sheriff, sees a critical need for mental health services for about 40 percent of prisoners in the Wyandotte County Jail. But there is no place to treat these prisoners, so they stay in jail or are sent to the state prisons.
Rep. Burroughs said he has requested a meeting with Gov. Jeff Colyer to discuss creative ways of providing security for schools. This plan would involve help from the private sector.
Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.