Brownback: It’s time to consider a new school funding system

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback wants to hear what the public thinks about how schools are funded.

Brownback told WIBW-AM that the old system had “a lot of problems,” and it’s time to talk about a new one. He said Tuesday that his office plans to announce a system for collecting public feedback in the next couple of weeks. He says people should also discuss the issue with Legislative candidates.

Last year, the state’s per-pupil funding formula was junked in favor of predictable grants to districts that allowed lawmakers to better control state spending. The plan is to replace the grants with a new funding system.

An ongoing legal fight clouds the discussions. The state Supreme Court could rule by the year’s end on whether lawmakers are underfunding schools.