Democrats in the Kansas Legislature are outlining a plan that they say complies with a Supreme Court ruling on education funding. The proposal would shift around $40 million from other areas of the budget to reduce disparities among school districts. Democratic Sen. Anthony Hensley says the plan would avoid the courts closing schools.
“It is beyond time to work together to address the real problem so that all children, no matter where they live in the state, have access to a quality education this next August,” Hensley says.
A significant portion of the money would come from a job creation fund. Democrats say the fund has largely been sitting idle in the last year. Gov. Sam Brownback’s office opposes the move, saying taking the money could endanger an upcoming job creation project.
The Republican majority has responded with the following statement: