Today lawmakers working to craft a new Kansas school funding formula hear from their lawyer about whether the proposal they’ve been working on all session is constitutional.
The bill the House K-12 Budget Committee has on the table includes $750 million in new money for schools over five years. The committee’s lawyer, former state Sen. Jeff King, will weigh in on whether that’s enough to satisfy the state’s high court.
House Speaker Ron Ryckman from Olathe suggests the price tag could actually be much lower.
“I personally don’t see our Supreme Court asking for that," Ryckman says. "It’s probably more of a political decision than a court decision for that type of funding.”
There’ve been discussions among some lawmakers that they could instead add $150 million next year and then hike funding to match inflation in later years.
King is expected to discuss that idea as well.
