Two new school finance bills are currently under discussion in the Legislature.
Hearings were held Wednesday on the bills, HB 2740 and SB 515, which are similar, in the Senate Ways and Means Committee and House Appropriations Committee. SB 515 was being added to an existing House bill.
One of the earlier bills that would increase funding to poor districts but cut state aid to some other districts was sent back to committee earlier this week. Under the new bills, spending is increased slightly so that districts do not lose funding. There is a new formula for local option budget funds.
HB 2740 would allot $367,582,721 in supplemental general state aid and $61,792,947 in school district equalization state aid for the state’s schools. Districts that have local option budgets would be eligible for an amount from the supplemental general state aid. There would be a school district extraordinary need fund of $15,167,962.
The Legislature is trying to meet a June 30 deadline for a new school finance bill to comply with a Kansas Supreme Court order on equity of school funding.
Education association recertification bill
In what one senator described as a “union-busting bill,” the Kansas Senate on Wednesday discussed new measures that would require a recertification vote on teachers’ associations such as the Kansas National Education Association. The bill passed after being amended, 22-18.
Sen. Jeff Melcher, R-Leawood, carried the bill that originally would have required the associations to get 50 percent plus one of eligible voters to recertify.
Opponents of the provision tried to change it to a percentage of votes that were cast, not a percentage of the number of eligible voters. Some senators pointed out if the majority percentage of eligible voters were applied to the senators’ elections themselves, a lot of them would not be there.
An amendment was successful to change this provision to the percentage of votes cast, not the percentage of eligible voters. Other successful amendments included one that would allow associations to continue representing the professional employees if the Department of Labor did not hold an election, and an extension of the voting period from seven days to 14 days. Elections, under the bill, would be held once every three years.
The bill, Senate Bill 469, was opposed by the KNEA and the Kansas Association of School Boards. It was supported by groups including Americans for Prosperity.
Sen. Pat Pettey, D-6th Dist., and Sen. David Haley, D-4th Dist., of Wyandotte County voted against the bill. Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, R-5th Dist., of Leavenworth County, who represents part of Wyandotte County, voted for the bill.