State lawmakers have accepted Governor Laura Kelly’s proposal to increase public school funding.
The Kansas House passed the measure 76-47, with 60th District Representative Mark Schreiber of Emporia voting for the bill and both 51st District Representative Ron Highland of Wamego and 76th District Representative Eric Smith of Burlington voting against it. The Senate vote was 31-8 in favor. 17th District Senator and Senate Vice President Jeff Longbine of Emporia was in the majority.
The bill adds around $90 million to a package approved by lawmakers and then-Gov. Jeff Colyer last year and basically adds an inflation component to the funding. The goal is to satisfy the Kansas Supreme Court’s recent mandates on school funding, including changes over the past two years to add more money for both adequacy and equity, and thus close down a legal battle over funding that has now stretched over 20 years.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the Senate are hoping to override Gov. Kelly’s first veto of the session, but they are struggling to get enough votes to do so. In fact, Senate President Susan Wagle of Wichita says the votes aren’t there to override Kelly’s veto of Senate Bill 22 in her chamber.
Republicans led the charge to pass SB 22 as a way to let state residents keep more of their income by letting Kansans itemize their state tax returns and by reducing the sales tax rate on food from 6.5 percent to 5.5 percent. Kelly said itemizations would sharply reduce state revenues and the state’s overall financial situation has to stabilize before it should reduce the food tax.
Lawmakers start their annual spring break Saturday and return May 1. KVOE News is reaching out to local and area lawmakers Friday for comment.
