Kansas superintendents are calling on lawmakers to put more money into a school funding bill.
As The Topeka Capital-Journal reports, several superintendents traveled to Topeka last week to tell the Senate education committee to add more money to Senate Bill 251.
Suzan Patton, superintendent of Pratt USD 382, said she doesn’t believe $4,006 as base state aid is sufficient to cover ever-increasing costs in utilities and health insurance critical to school districts' recruitment of teachers.
The newly formulated Senate Bill 251 proposes $234.5 million over the first two years of the five-year plan beginning with the 2017-18 school year, while a House bill proposes close to $280 million in funding over the first two years. Both plans would fund the remaining three years with an increase based on the Consumer Price Index, although each bill used different CPI formulas.
The Senate committee heard testimony Thursday afternoon, and was expected to continue hearing input on its school finance bill Friday and Saturday.
