Views
Opinion column
by Murrel Bland
Gov. Sam Brownback has called a special session of the Kansas Legislature starting Thursday, June 23, to comply with the Kansas Supreme Court’s order to address the equity issue of state school funding.
The court ruled last month that the Legislature’s remedy passed earlier this year was not equitable. Now the legislators must find an estimated $38 million to satisfy the court. Four urban school districts, including Kansas City, Kan., have sued the state alleging that state funding falls short. The court has given the Legislature a June 30 deadline to come up with an equitable funding plan.
Some ultra-conservative legislators are enraged, charging that the Supreme Court is acting beyond its authority. Jeff King, the vice president of the Kansas Senate, has introduced a bill calling for a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the courts from closing public schools.
Kathy Damron, the lobbyist for the Kansas City, Kan., Area Chamber of Commerce, spoke to the chamber’s Legislative Committee last Friday. She said that opinions vary greatly regarding options legislators might consider to solve this school funding issue. One remedy might be to revert back to a former formula that establishes a per-pupil funding base amount. This plan could favor urban districts such as Kansas City, Kan., with supplemental money that would make up for its lack of a local tax base.
Coming up with additional funding will be difficult as state officials are scrambling to come up with enough money to meet state expenses as revenue has fallen very short of projections. This may mean even more severe cuts in various state services. The dip in state revenue is blamed on a drop in oil prices and a downturn in agricultural prices. By law, the state cannot exercise deficit spending.
It is doubtful that legislators will favor any kind of a tax increase as all house and senate seats are up for election this year. In addition, five of the Supreme Court justices are up for retention this fall. Conservative organizations have already started a mailing campaign to oust “liberal justices.”
Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.