As Kansas lawmakers try to hammer out a new school funding plan, one state senator says she has a way to save money: Stop educating kids from other states.
Most don’t know it, but this year Kansas is paying to educate 624 students from bordering states.
The state Department of Education estimates that costs Kansas taxpayers about $3.5 million a year.
Sen. Molly Baumgardner, a Republican from Louisburg, says Kansans shouldn’t be paying for this.
"In some cases, the school districts actually bus over, pick them up in the neighboring state and bring them into Kansas,” Baumgardner says.
In some cases, according to the state, a student’s parents may live in another state but teach in Kansas, and the district will allow that student to attend.
In others, a farm or ranch may spread into two states. And while the state doesn’t have a number, Kansas students do cross into neighboring states.
Sam Zeff covers education for KCUR and the Kansas News Service and is co-host of the political podcast Statehouse Blend Kansas. Follow him on Twitter @SamZeff.