With a round of high-fives, Gov. Jeff Colyer signed the school finance bill into law Tuesday surrounded by Topeka high-schoolers, teachers and staff.
I see this as a real solid commitment to your future, Colyer told the crowd.
Wow.
Nothing about breaking the bank, higher taxes or an impending doomsday.
Just some uplifting talk showing students and teachers their Kansas leaders value education.
In other words, the kind of thing that drives ultraconservatives nuts.
And, undoubtedly, Senate President Susan Wagle and her cohorts are feverishly plotting a way to sabotage the decision. Trouble is, an avenue exists.
Still to work out is an $80 million error in the five-year $525 million package that Gov. Colyer is counting on legislators to fix with a trailer bill when the wrap-up session starts April 26.
An April 30 deadline imposed last fall by the Kansas Supreme Court allows no time for going back to square one. Thank goodness. Instead, the gaffe needs to be taken for what it is an error caused by rushing through legislation in the wee hours of the morning only to be discovered by Kansas State Department of Education officials the next day.
Yes, legislators had months to hash this out. But for whatever reason they appear allergic to methodical trains of thought, preferring threatening deadlines that force hasty decisions.
Talk about high school.
On both sides of the aisle fingers are crossed the high court OKs the spending bill, though it falls short of what consultants have advised to bring our public schools up to snuff. Still, it takes our schools further in the right direction.
Colyer views the legislation as a compromise between the Democrats who wanted to spend more on education and the Republicans who wanted to spend far less.
Thats about as good as it gets.
Susan Lynn
