Kansas school districts plan to use the proposed additional $600 million on personnel and programs for at-risk children.
As the TopekaCapital Journalreports, school district officials told legislators Monday they would use the additional funding to raise teacher salaries in order to help recruit new teachers and alleviate the current teacher shortage and also to help at-risk children by hiring more counselors and social workers.
Last October, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that school funding was both inadequate and inequitable and therefore was unconstitutional, but it did not clarify how much funding schools should get, frustrating some lawmakers.
In January, former governor Sam Brownback’s proposed budget included $600 million in additional school funding though he failed to mention how the cash-strapped state would pay for it, again frustrating lawmakers.
The legislature will continue to debate school funding and has until April 30th to come up with a new plan.
