Johnson, Wyandotte county schools see boost under $500 million House plan

Johnson County school districts would receive an additional $27 million in the next school year under the Kansas House's latest school finance fix.

Wyandotte County districts would get a $12 million boost, under figures released Thursday afternoon.

Those amounts would be the first installment of more than $500 million in additional funding for districts across the state over the next five years under the new Republican-backed plan moving forward in the Legislature.

It's a plan lawmakers hope will have enough extra money to please the state Supreme Court, which has ruled that the state has failed to meet a constitutional requirement that schools be adequately funded.

"We can show our work," said Rep. Fred Patton, the Topeka Republican who leads the House K-12 budget committee. "We know how we got there and we have a rational basis for the number."

The Kansas City, Kan., district would see an expected boost of $9 million in the next school year. Turner would get an additional $1.45 million, Piper $1.07 million and Bonner Springs $600,000.

Olathe would see a $10 million boost, Blue Valley almost $7 million and Shawnee Mission $4.3 million. Spring Hill would get an additional $1.5 million, Gardner Edgerton $2.2 million and De Soto $2.1 million.

“We are cautiously optimistic at this initial glimpse at a funding solution that provides additional resources for K-12 education," Olathe superintendent John Allison said in an email. "This is a positive first step and as we know that any increase to K-12 education means an investment in the Kansas economy and future business growth.”

The state’s high court ruled in October that the new formula passed by the Kansas Legislature in 2017 was unconstitutional, adding another chapter in long-running litigation over the quality and funding of Kansas schools.

The justices set an April 30 deadline for lawmakers to show how they plan to respond. Lawmakers then waited until this month to make major movements on a school funding fix.

"It sounds like we're moving in the right direction," Rep. Cindy Holscher, an Overland Park Democrat, said about the funding plan. "But I still don't think it's enough."

A researcher on Thursday largely reaffirmed the results of a study released earlier this month that recommended up to $2 billion in new funding. Lawmakers had expressed sticker shock at that figure.

While voicing some concerns with the study's methodology, Jesse Levin of the American Institutes for Research said the report by Texas professor Lori Taylor was overall "very good." He also repeated Taylor's finding that a correlation exists between money for schools and academic performance.

The study included a range of possible increases, including a $450 million boost over five years. The study authors said that amount would be enough to raise the state’s high school graduation rate to 95 percent, up from 86.9 percent, but would not otherwise improve academic performance.

"If you want to meet the thresholds that are in place, you probably cannot do that without spending more," Levin said.

The Kansas Coalition for Fair Funding introduced a constitutional amendment Thursday in the House Tax Committee. The text of the amendment wasn't immediately available.

The coalition was formed after the release of the high-profile education study. Because the coalition is a non-profit corporation, its donors are hidden, though John Donley, a lobbyist for the group, has previously confirmed that the Kansas Farm Bureau is involved.

Donley said Thursday that the amendment "would clarify that the Legislature shall determine the total amount of funding that constitutes suitable provision for finance of the educational interests of the state."

Passing a constitutional amendment would require two-thirds support of both the House and Senate. It would then go to a statewide vote.

Some Republican lawmakers, including Senate President Susan Wagle, have called for an amendment to prevent future litigation over school funding.

And not every school district sees a funding boost under the plan that is awaiting a vote in the House.

"As you lose students, funding goes down even if the formula changes," said House Majority Leader Don Hineman, a Dighton Republican.

This story was originally published March 29, 2018 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Johnson, Wyandotte county schools see boost under $500 million House plan."