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Despite BOE Support, State-Funded All-Day Kindergarten Not Backed By Lawmakers

A five-year, $80 million plan to pay for full-day kindergarten has support from the State Board of Education, but leaders of the Kansas House and Senate education committees aren't backing it yet.

House Education Committee Chairwoman Kasha Kelley of Ark City says she wants to know how the added spending would affect other services and the state's reserve fund.

Governor Brownback's proposal calls for spending $16 million dollars a year for the next five years until all-day kindergarten is funded fully by the state.

Representative Ed Trimmer, a Winfield Republican, said he supports state funding of all-day kindergarten, but is skeptical of Brownback's intentions.

Trimmer says "If he's promising all-day kindergarten, but is not prepared to come up with some money and not prepared to work with the Legislature to figure out a way to get the funding, then it's nothing but political posturing."

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