The legislature and school spending
by Steve McIntosh
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posted Jan 17 2013 5:04AM
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The Kansas Legislative session begins this week with about sixty new lawmakers. They face the challenge of learning how to get around and how things work. They also face a number of challenges, including the 800-pound gorilla, education.
Education spending takes up about 60% of the annual state budget. Recently, a Shawnee District Court panel of three judges ruled the legislature is not funding education adequately, a similar ruling to one back in 2005. Lawmakers boosted spending then … but began cutting the budget because of the recession.
This year the legislature plans to spend $3,838 per student. But the judges ordered lawmakers to go back to the spending level of 2010 -- $4,492 per pupil – to begin to remedy the situation.
This comes after the legislature has approved huge cuts in income and business taxes.
What will our elected officials do? Will they challenge the court?
The state begins with a projected shortfall of more than $200 million this year.
Where will lawmakers find the money to balance the budget?
Stay tuned …
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Our thought for today is from Cullen Hightower:
“There’s always somebody who is paid too much, and taxed too little … and it’s always somebody else.”
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