Sen. Jeff King of Independence helped write a sensible school funding bill the Senate passed, which now sits in a House committee not scheduled to meet again this session.
Sen. King’s bill would increase funding for the public schools (K-12) by $56 million for each of the next two years. This would be a hike of about 2 percent, a very modest increase considering the Legislature cut K-12 funding by about 6 percent during the recession.
House leaders should pry the Senate bill out of its grave and give it new life. The schools must be funded and funding should increase at least enough to cover inflation. At current pace, the state will end the session with a hefty $500,000,000 surplus. The lawmakers can agree to the Senate’s proposal and still have hundreds of millions in the treasury.
The education of Kansas children has long held the highest priority for Kansas governors and lawmakers. Today’s knowledge-based economy demands Kansas honor that priority.
— Emerson Lynn, jr.
