Kansas lawmakers approve new panel to study school standards, financing

Kansas lawmakers on Wednesday created a 15-member education study committee to review school standards and funding.

The K-12 Student Success Interim Study Committee, made up of House and Senate members, was charged with studying education goals known as the “Rose standards” as well as “the best funding mechanism by formula or other criteria” for Kansas schools.

House Speaker Ray Merrick, a Stilwell Republican, proposed the committee, which beat out a proposal by Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat. Hensley said he thought his proposal would have addressed the development of a new school finance formula more directly.

The state’s block grant plan for schools, which replaced a per-pupil formula, has come under fire. Block grants were approved for two years until the state could draw up a new school financing formula.

Lawmakers on Wednesday also approved an interim committee to study sales tax exemptions. During last session’s budget debate, several legislators wanted some of the exemptions repealed but found such exemptions have strong political appeal.

This story was originally published September 2, 2015 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Kansas lawmakers approve new panel to study school standards, financing."