Views
opinion column
by Murrel Bland
State Sen. Steve Fitzgerald (R-Fifth Dist.) admitted that he wasn’t very comfortable being outnumbered by three Democrats.
Sen. Fitzgerald was the lone Republican on a legislative panel that made presentations Friday, April 8 at a meeting of the Legislative Committee of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce at the Community College. About 30 persons attended.
Sen. Fitzgerald, a conservative who is considered an ally of Gov. Sam Brownback, explained his support of House Bill 2655 that addresses equitable funding for school districts. Both the Kansas House and Senate approved the bill; Gov. Brownback signed the bill into law Thursday, April 7.
The bill, which had overwhelming Republican support, uses a formula that reduces state aid to most of the state’s 286 school districts and then redistributes funds back to districts making certain that no district sees a reduction. Overall funding was flat.
Democrats including those on the panel—State Reps. Tom Burroughs (33rd Dist.), Kathy Wolfe Moore (36th Dist.) and State Sen. Pat Pettey (Sixth Dist.) —were critical of the bill. That is consistent with Democrat leadership in the Legislature that has said the bill will allow wealthier school districts, such as Blue Valley, to raise property taxes to increase school budgets. That would put the Kansas City, Kan., School District at a disadvantage as it has substantially less of a tax base.
Rep. Burroughs, who is the minority leader in the Kansas House, agreed that the bill means that rich districts will get richer and poorer districts will get poorer.
The action will shift to the Kansas Supreme Court who will begin to review the law on Tuesday, May 10, with oral arguments. The court has said that if it does not approve the new financing law by June 30, the schools could be shut down.
Sen. Fitzgerald said that five of the Supreme Court judges are up for retention this year. He said this could be a factor in their decision. The five are Lawton Nuss (Chief Judge), Marla Luckert, Carol Beier, Daniel Biles and Caleb Stegall.
Sen. Fitzgerald sponsored a bill that would reopen The Woodlands to horse racing. It has passed the Senate and now needs approval in the House. The bill would change the amount of the wagering revenue that The Woodlands could keep. Those affiliated with Hollywood Casino said such a provision violates the development agreement that it has with the state of Kansas and the Unified Government. A direct mail card accuses Phil Ruffin, the owner of The Woodlands, of not having a development agreement with The Unified Government. The mailer also said if The Woodlands reopens, it would threaten jobs at Hollywood and annual contributions that go to charities.
Sen. Fitzgerald said that horse racing benefits several persons across the state of Kansas and would bring people with money to spend to Wyandotte County. He said Hollywood Casino would benefit.
Rep. Moore said she is neutral on whether or not to support The Woodlands. She did say, however, that before she could support The Woodlands, she would have to see a development agreement that would benefit the Unified Government.
The panel did agree on one measure that had bi-partisan support—a new juvenile justice law. This would allow for young nonviolent offenders to be directed to community-based programs rather than being jailed with hardened criminals. The economics of this new law make sense. It costs about $90,000 a year to keep a person in prison; a community based program could cost as little as $5,000 annually.
Legislators will return to Topeka Monday, April 25, after a spring recess.
Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is executive director of Business West.