Gov Pitches Education Plan to Business Leaders

Tue, January 31, 2012

Kansas Public Radio / Stephen Koranda

Gov. Sam Brownback pitched his education proposal to business leaders at a Topeka Chamber of Commerce event Tuesday. The plan would simplify the school funding formula and give local districts more freedom to raise property taxes. The governor has said his plan could help end lawsuits over education funding. A coalition of school districts is again suing the state over the issue. Brownback says the lawsuit could demand the state increase funding by up to $1 billion. He says that would require cuts to other areas of state government programs or increases in taxes.
“You can raise your mill levy 38 mills,” said Brownback. “You can take your sales tax from 6.3 to 9 percent at the state level. You’d increase your income taxes by approximately 31 percent. Any of those three would get you a billion dollars.”
Critics of Brownback’s plan have said it doesn’t do enough to reverse recent cuts to education funding and likely won’t protect the state from lawsuits over school funding.