Kansas school funding plan aimed at ending budget surprises

Top Republican officials in Kansas are working on a plan to overhaul funding for public schools designed to prevent unanticipated demands for new spending.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is calling on the GOP-dominated Legislature to junk the state’s current formula for distributing $3.6 billion in aid to school districts. He’s proposed distributing most of the money to districts in “block grants” that remain stable while lawmakers draft a new formula.

The chairmen of the House and Senate budget committees said they expect to have a bill drafted by the end of this week. They said the measure will bring predictability to state and school district budgets.

But Kansas school boards lobbyist Mark Tallman said predictability hurts school districts with rising costs or a growing number of students.