WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Special education funding could change in Kansas if lawmakers can come to an agreement.
State senators say it started as a four-page bill that set out the rules for an open bidding system. It then moved to the House of Representatives, where policy and budget items were added. Now, the education bill is dozens of pages long and has drawn criticism.
Since its introduction in January, Senate Bill 387 has undergone several changes. The housing replacement bill now also includes funding for education.
“Our Senate Bill 387 includes constitutional funding,” said Rep. Christy Williams, chair of the House Committee on K-12 education funding. “It also includes historic levels of special education funding, $77.5 million.”
The money will come from the general fund, Williams said, but will be combined with other policy tools. These include various learning benchmarks that schools need students to achieve.
United Teachers of Wichita wants to see an increase in special education funding from the state.
“Our goal is to introduce clear funding legislation for special education in the Wichita State Legislature,” said UTW Vice President Mike Harris.
Harris said she did not want the bill to be combined with policy changes.
State Sen. Dinah Sykes, who is negotiating with the House on the bill, agrees that the funding bill should be passed on its own merits.
Williams said benchmarks and guidelines are needed if funding is to pass.
“At the end of the day, it is our job to ensure that student education improves,” Williams said.
Harris said the state is not funding special education as promised in state law.
Williams said the state would meet that promise if it calculated special education funding using Local Option Budget Funds, which include money raised from property taxes.
“We weren't counting all the money,” Williams said. “When you calculate all the amounts, it exceeds 92 percent of this statutory amount.”
