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Education issues should be prominent in this year’s session of the Senate in the Kansas State Legislature, which convened Monday in Topeka.
Public schools in the state have not been fully funded since shortly after the start of the Great Recession, which led to a decrease in state revenues.
So far only two of eight bills state senators have introduced this session deal with education topics, and both originated with the Legislative Educational Planning Committee.
Senate Bill (SB) 257 amends a state statute relating to the revenue public school districts raise and retain locally. And SB260 eliminates minimum and maximum calculations of state aid for special education.
Part of Gov. Sam Brownback’s school financing proposal — which he introduced at the December meeting of the Kansas State Board of Education — was to allow districts to raise more money locally.
The Senate Legislative Educational Planning Committee introduced both bills Monday, and today they were assigned to the Committee on Education.
Four Kansas City metropolitan-area legislators serve on the 13-member planning committee. They are Rep. Pat Colloton (R-Leawood), Rep. Owen Donohoe (R-Shawnee), Sen. Terrie Huntington (R-Fairway) and Sen. John Vratil (R-Leawood).
Vratil also serves as vice chair of the 11-member Committee on Education. The other local man on that committee is Sen. Tim Owens (R-Overland Park).
The Senate will reconvene Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 2:30 p.m.
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