State lawmakers did not advance a key piece of education legislation before ending the regular part of their session Friday.
Lawmakers in the Kansas House narrowly passed Senate Bill 83, which would have allowed taxpayer dollars to pay for private-school vouchers. The Senate, meanwhile, voted 20-17 against the bill. 17th District Senator Jeff Longbine and 60th District Representative Mark Schreiber, both of Emporia, voted against the bill, while 13th District Representative Duane Droge of Eureka and 76th District Representative Eric Smith of Burlington voted for the bill.
Supporters said the bill could have provided financing so low-income students could attend private schools or home schools. Critics felt the money going to private schools would make it more difficult for public schools to operate.
Lawmakers also considered adding language to the budget freezing the base state aid per student, used to figure overall state aid to school districts. That step did not happen, in part because of concerns it could have violated Gannon v. Kansas, the 2018 Kansas Supreme Court ruling on funding distribution and adequacy for public education.
