Block grant plan for Kansas schools moves to the full House

A stopgap measure for overhauling the Kansas school finance formula is on the fast track for legislative approval after winning support from a House panel Tuesday.

The budget-writing Appropriations Committee voted to send a plan to the full House. It gives school districts block grants, replacing a formula that fluctuates spending based on enrollment, demographic trends and the property wealth disparity between school districts across the state.

Districts would also gain flexibility to move money from one fund to another to meet their needs.

Those block grants would last through the 2016-17 school year. The Legislature then would need to draw up a new formula. The bill does not provide for a fallback funding formula after the grants expire.

The House committee used a procedural move to set the bill up for full legislative approval later this week or early next week. The bill was made public last Thursday.

“Trickery, trickery, trickery,” said Democratic Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore of Kansas City, Kan., as she left the committee room. “It’s probably one of the biggest decisions we make this year and it certainly commanded a little more time and attention than we gave it.”

The plan restores the education cuts Republican Gov. Sam Brownback announced last month, but it still trims education by about $23 million in the first year. School districts will feel the cuts differently across the state. Districts would have the ability to raise property taxes to offset those losses.

Leading conservative lawmakers claim the plan puts about $340 million into schools over three years, but critics point out that includes $133 million for retirement contributions.

Opponents of the plan say that the legislative leadership hypes the bill by counting millions designated for retirement as an increase in school spending when it’s not actually funneled into the classroom.

Supporters of the measure, however, contend teacher retirement is part of the cost of education.

“You don’t have a teacher in that classroom teaching students,” said Republican Rep. Amanda Grosserode of Lenexa, “without a pension that is part of their employment.”

The block grant plan is aimed at taking uncertainty out of school spending at a time when the state is facing a budget crisis following deep income tax cuts.

Republican leaders contend the current formula is complicated and leads to uncontrolled school spending.

Many school officials counter that the formula was written to address specific educational needs, whether it’s English language learners or at-risk students. They say the state needs to fund the current formula, not craft a new one.

Opponents argue that the block grants lock schools into a funding level with little room to adjust for growing enrollments and shifting demographics.

The block grant is being pushed by Brownback, who wants to provide stable, predictable and flexible funding for schools.

But the bill faces opposition from school officials scattered across Kansas, including the Kansas City, Kan., Topeka and Wichita school districts. No Johnson County school districts testified on the bill.

Shawnee Mission Superintendent Jim Hinson conditionally supported the plan. State data show his district would gain $8.8 million over three years. About $7 million would go toward retirement, leaving the district with about $1.8 million for direct classroom spending.

Blue Valley and Olathe schools would see a gain of about $12.7 million combined over three years. But officials from both districts say that would all go toward retirement.

The Kansas City, Kan., schools would net about $7.5 million from the bill, with all but $1.3 million going to retirement contributions.

Schools official say that’s hardly enough to keep up with student growth and other rising costs, including pay raises.

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Block grant plan for Kansas schools moves to the full House."