The House approved a bill this week that increases state funding for public schools by $37.2 million in the 2009-2010 school year.  It adds a fourth year to the school finance plan originally passed in 2006.  The legislation was debated at length and explored differing needs between rural, suburban and urban school districts.   Under the House plan, base state aid per pupil (BSAPP) will increase to $4,492 beginning in the 2009-2010 school year.  This increases the current rate by $59.

On the House side, legislators proposed several amendments to the bill with an intent to modify the formula for determining how much money each district receives.  Some members preferred to avoid specifying how additional money be distributed, arguing that it is too early to know individual school needs.  Other members wanted funding to go to one weighting category to increase funding primarily for large or suburban schools.

One amendment would have placed all state funding into "high enrollment" weighting (previously referred to as "correlation weighting") to bring the larger school districts up and diminish the low enrollment weighting part of the formula.  That amendment failed, so another amendment was proposed to take half of the money and use it the same way.  Then an amendment to automatically increase high enrollment weighting whenever funding is added to the base was offered.  All these amendments failed. 

An amendment was proposed to add over $70 million for "non-proficiency" student weighting.  This targeted Johnson County schools, created for students who are not proficient but not considered "at risk" because they do not qualify for free lunch.  It adds funding in many districts but primarily helps schools with students from higher income families.  That amendment also failed, 28 to 92. 

Another amendment would have removed provisions that placed the funding into the BSAPP and simply left it in a "lock box" to be addressed next year.  This would have guaranteed the same amount of funding for school finance, just delaying the formula for distributing it.  The problem with this amendment was that school districts need to know how much money they will receive before the end of the next legislative session in April 2009.  School boards must make staffing decisions, plan programs and finalize their budgets before the school year begins.  This amendment failed as well. 

There was also a proposed amendment that would have removed a fix for Medicaid funding for special education services.  Kansas previously lost Medicaid funding because some districts were not complying with the federal requirements.  This amendment would have distributed the state funding that is appropriated to replace the Medicaid funding first to school districts working hardest to receive Medicaid funding for their Medicaid students.  That amendment failed on a voice vote.

The Senate approved the funding increase early in the session, with 33 Senators co-sponsoring the bill.  The bill requires that the funding be set aside in a trust fund, enabling school districts to make appropriate budget decisions in a timely manner.  The bill includes other changes in the finance law to encourage small districts consolidation.  There is also a requirement that money provided by the state to replace federal Medicaid money previously taken away go first to districts with eligible Medicaid students.

The education debate was one of the most important debates we engaged in during the 2008 session.  I am confident the legislation we approved will keep our promise of a quality education for all Kansas schoolchildren, regardless of what public school they attend.  With an adequate and fair increase in the BSAPP, districts of all sizes will receive proper funding to meet their needs.