After hours of negotiation, Kansas lawmakers have finally reached a deal on education funding. The conference committee finalized a plan early Saturday morning that includes a significant increase in state aid for special education students.
Leah Fliter, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Association of School Boards, described the bill as a compromise that will benefit public schools across the state. The plan includes $75 million in state aid for special education students and maintains the base budget for Kansas public schools at around $528 million.
While there are aspects of the bill that both sides may not be entirely happy with, Fliter emphasized that the compromise was made in the best interest of public schools. One contentious issue is a mandate requiring school districts to transfer a portion of their local tax dollars into their special education fund. However, in exchange for this mandate, the Legislature agreed not to count that local tax money as part of the $75 million in special education aid.
In addition to increased funding for special education, the proposal also includes a pilot program to support at-risk students in 10 school districts across the state, according to Jim Karleskint with United School Administrators of Kansas.
The plan will be included in an updated conference committee report for House Substitute for SB 387, and lawmakers are expected to take up the bill when they return at the end of April. Stay tuned for the latest updates on this important education funding legislation.