Brownback: Fully Fund Aid To Poor Kansas Schools

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says legislators should fully fund aid to poor school districts and significantly increase state spending on public education.

Brownback issued a statement Wednesday outlining his principles for a response to a recent Kansas Supreme Court decision in an education funding lawsuit. The high court ruled earlier this month that past cuts in aid to poor districts left unconstitutional gaps between them and wealthier districts.

The Department of Education has estimated that fully reversing those cuts would cost $129 million a year.

The governor’s statement did not include a figure for new spending but said only that solving school funding issues will require “significant” new spending.

But he also said the aid cited by the court as problematic should be fully funded.