The Kansas Legislature passed two bills for Education Finance last week, and were hard at work Saturday negotiating to reach an agreement Saturday.  An evening vote was anticipated, but as the House and Senate adjourned Saturday night, no word was forthcoming.  
Earlier last week, the Senate passed a bill that introduced a property tax rebate for families who send their children to non-public schools, as well as essentially eliminating tenure for K-12 teachers, and halting spending on Common Core.  Friday, the House passed a similar bill that did not include mention of Common Core or property tax rebates, but did provide a means for unified school districts to raise the amount of tax levied on property to increase current Base State Aid per pupil to an amount more in line with what the state agreed to pay prior to 2010.  On Friday, Brownback voiced approval of the direction the legislature was heading.
“The school finance bill that passed the Kansas House today with bipartisan support increases funding to Kansas schools by $83 million and includes $74 million of property tax relief,” Governor Sam Brownback said Friday in a press release.  “I am pleased with the broad bipartisan support for a plan that puts money into the classrooms where it best benefits students and teachers.”
The House bill passed 91 to 31, and the Senate bill passed Thursday 23 to 17.  Senator Mitch Holmes voted in favor of the Senate bill and Representative John Edmonds voted against the House bill.  Holmes vote was influenced by constituents that are opposed to Common Core implementation.  Edmonds could not be reached before this story went to print.
It’s important to note this means other departments will see cuts to their budget.  Those mentioned in the bill include Administration, Aging and Disability Services, and Children and Families.  Other department budgets will be shaved also, including the State Fire Marshall, the Kansas Highway Patrol, and the Department of Transportation.  
Money will be moved around within the Department of Education also.  Employer contributions to the KPERS retirement account for the current school year in the amount of $7,447,869 will not be made if the bill passes as is.  Also, $25,000 will come from the technical education promotion budget, and money earmarked for state assessments in the amount of $1,100,000 will come from this year’s and next year’s state safety fund.   

Property tax to make up difference
Similar redistributions were included in the Senate education finance bill approved 27 to 13 on Thursday.  But more money will need to be found to fix the shortfall.  This was where negotiations resulted in compromise.
Both bills do not mandate higher taxes, however they do leave the door open for local districts to levy higher percentages on Local Option Budgets in the future, which could cost taxpayers more in property tax rather than property tax relief Brownback mentioned.   
According to the House bill, the board of any school district may adopt a local option budget which does not exceed the local option budget calculated as if the base state aid per pupil, currently $3,838, was $4,540, or the current LOB, whichever is greater.  
In fact, there was no language in the House bill pertaining to a reduction in property tax.  However, in the Senate bill approved Thursday, The Education Fairness Property Tax Relief Act would provide up to $2,500 property tax relief for qualified taxpayers that send their children to non-public schools.  Documentation for tuition, fees, and other approved expenses would need to be filed with the county treasurer for the district and with the Department of Revenue, and would be reimbursable only against taxes earmarked for the school district, up to the amount of tax levied.  
In addition, the Senate pushed for the Corporate Education Tax Credit Scholarship Act, which would allow corporations to provide scholarships for special education students attending school at non-public institutions and receive a break on corporate income tax, up to $10 million.  At the same time, the Senate also proposed reduced funding for special education from the state.

Common Core halt
Another development that came out of the Senate bill was the proposal to halt spending on implementation of the Common Core without approval from the legislature.   The House bill, however, did not call for any such halt, and the proposal may be thrown out completely in order to salvage other directives the Senate is pushing for.
In 2010, Kansas was one of the first states to become part of the Common Core movement, which was a state governor led proposition to allow states to opt out of the No Child Left Behind Act requirements.  Since then, Common Core has been mired in controversy, as opponents have vocalized concern that it takes local control away from districts and puts it in the hands of the federal government.  This however, has been heavily disputed by the Kansas Board of Education and many local school districts, including USD 428.  
Senator Mitch Holmes, representing the 33rd district which includes Barton County, voted in favor of the measure.
“Common Core has been very unpopular among constituents.  I have received many emails asking the legislature to step back and return to local control, and that is why I supported it.”
Holmes said.
John Popp, USD 428 Director of Curriculum, said it’s too early to tell what a halt like that could mean for the district, that has spent three years implementing the new standards.
“The standards read like any other standards we have had, one such standard says kids need to be able to count to 100 by the end of first grade.  We will still teach kids to count,” he said in an email Friday.  “We will continue to teach kids what we know to be right, and that has changed some with Common Core, but it has not changed the fact that we teach kids math, reading and writing.”
Popp pointed out that discussion about Common Core has been ongoing in the district’s schools, the community, and in local Board of Education meetings.  
“We have never had anyone come to our board meeting to oppose the implementation of Common Core,” he said.  
Holmes said the constituents he hears from represent a broader base of interest than simply those who attend school board meetings.
With bills approved in both the Senate and the House, Holmes expects there will be some changes yet to come next week as committees work towards a final bill that will go to Governor Brownback for his approval.  
“I will continue to work with legislative leadership until a bill reaches my desk,” the Governor said.