Topeka ? The governor’s plan for increasing spending on elementary and secondary education could be out of committee by the end of the week, a key legislator said Monday.

Senate Education Committee Chairman Dwayne Umbarger, R-Thayer, said his panel would likely finish its review Wednesday or Thursday and send the $304 million, three-year plan to the Senate for debate.

That debate is likely to occur next week. Senate leaders are not sure the measure will have enough votes to go to the House.

Supporters of the bill told the Senate committee that the governor’s plan is a good start, but falls short of the needs of schools to adequately address teacher salaries, health insurance and programs for poor and minority students who struggle on standardized achievement tests.

Last week, the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee amended the proposal, eliminating an increase in the statewide property tax levy, which would have moved the tax to 22 mills from the current 20. A mill is $1 of taxation for every $1,000 of assessed valuation.

Mark Tallman, lobbyist for the Kansas Association of School Boards, said the state has cut taxes on vehicles and property $505 million since 1996, while school boards have increased local property taxes by $564 million to keep pace with rising costs.

Tallman tried to counter suggestions from business groups that the tax increases will damage the business climate.

“The real question is what kind of state do we want? We do not believe Kansas can or should compete by being the cheapest place to do business,” Tallman said. “We can and should compete by having the smartest, best educated people.”

The House Education Committee is reviewing its own school finance proposals. Some legislators are renewing efforts to increase districts’ local option budgets.

Currently, school boards can increase property taxes to fund local option budgets, or LOBs, equal to 25 percent of their total general fund budget. Nearly all the state’s 302 school districts use local option budgets, and almost 90 percent are at 25 percent.

On Tuesday, the House panel is to begin four days of scheduled hearings on a new school finance formula drafted by Johnson County legislators. The proposal ties funding to student achievement and eliminates many of the provisions of the current formula, including additional funds for districts with declining enrollments.