Yesterday, Governor Laura Kelly announced she was “proudly” signing House Sub for SB 387. This is the school funding bill. In her statement, Governor Kelly stated:
“I am proud to sign House Substitute for Senate Bill 387, continuing my deep commitment to fully funding our schools and supporting our students. This bill exemplifies how, when we work together, we can find solutions that improve the experiences of Kansas students, invest in our educators, and benefit the entire state.”
We agree.
We’ve been realistic about the fact that, like so many things that come out of the legislature, this bill is not perfect. But we cannot let perfect be the enemy of the good. The bill passed the Kansas Senate 35-2 and the Kansas House 115-2.
After the very contentious meeting of the legislature’s own Special Education Taskforce, the beginning of the legislative session kicked off with every expectation that the Legislature would continue to fail to fund special education fully.
The sentiment of discontent only grew in early February when the Kansas Supreme Court issued an order relinquishing its jurisdiction over the Gannon School funding lawsuit. The order caused anxiety that the legislature may take this as an opportunity to ignore an earlier commitment to add a consumer price index raise to base state aid.
The Governor’s signature of SB 387 is something to be pleased about but we can’t exactly declare victory. The Legislature is expected to be called back soon for a special legislative session to address the issue of taxation and whatever else it decides to do. We must stay engaged and ready to react should anti-public education forces decide to cause trouble in the special session.
Read the full press release from the Office of Governor Laura Kelly here: https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-kelly-fully-funds-kansas-schools-for-the-sixth-year-in-a-row-increases-funding-for-special-education/
-Tim Graham
