Kansas House Panel Restores $16 Million For All-Day Kindergarten

A Kansas House budget committee has restored $16 million for Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposal to fund all-day kindergarten, keeping the money in place while a separate committee reviews the merits of the plan.

The recommendation Tuesday by the House Appropriations Committee reverses a decision made by a working group to strip the funding until a decision is made whether to move forward with Brownback’s proposal. The working group will meet Thursday to continue its review of the proposal.

The full committee endorsed the overall budget for the Department of Education, which would spend more than $3 billion in the next fiscal year on public schools. Legislators approved most of the spending last session. The committee’s action reflects minor changes in spending, including $1.1 million to develop new standardized tests.