TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas legislators approved a fix for a new education funding law Monday that would prevent public schools from losing $80 million in new funds theyve been promised to meet a court mandate, and lawmakers also turned their attention to adding money to other parts of the state budget.
The Senate approved the follow-up school finance bill, 30-8, to make sure that the law enacted in early April phases in a $534 million increase in education funding as intended. The House had approved the measure Saturday, and it now goes to Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer, who promised to sign it.
The Senates debate on the bill allowed conservative Republicans to vent some frustration with the Kansas Supreme Court mandate prompting the new spending. The high court ruled in October that the states current education funding of more than $4 billion a year isnt sufficient to provide a suitable education for every child as required by the Kansas Constitution.