Governor weary of waiting on schools

? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius expressed frustration Friday with what she sees as legislators’ lack of seriousness about addressing school finance issues.

“I’m hopeful the Legislature will take very seriously the fact that time is running out in the session,” Sebelius said during her weekly news conference. “Sometimes I feel they have a different clock than I do.”

Friday was the 61st calendar day of the legislative session, out of 90 scheduled. Legislators plan to recess April 2, then return April 28 to finish their business.

Both chambers have considered — and rejected — all or parts of the governor’s plan to raise school funding by $304 million over three years through higher state taxes on sales, individual income and property. No school finance bill has passed either chamber.

“I’m still waiting eagerly if there are some alternate proposals coming forward,” Sebelius said. “I’m open to all ideas.”

Her comments came at the end of a week which school finance issues dominated the Statehouse’s agenda, even if there seemed to be little progress.

On Monday, Attorney General Phill Kline filed notice with the Kansas Supreme Court that the state is appealing a district judge’s preliminary order, issued in December, setting a July 1 deadline to fix what he ruled were constitutional flaws in the school finance formula. A similar notice was mailed on behalf of the State Board of Education.

The GOP-controlled House rejected two school finance packages this week. One proposed to raise school funding by $137 million — the amount provided in the first year of the governor’s plan — and to let local school boards increase their budgets with higher property taxes.

Sebelius launched a partnership Thursday with business leaders to advocate for education. She said she hopes the business leaders will push legislators into acting.

On Friday, House Speaker Doug Mays said Sebelius and her staff have shown little interest in negotiating with Republicans.

“She says the door is open — to anyone who wants to talk about her plan,” said Mays, R-Topeka. “It’s not enough to say the door is open. We’re tired of waiting.”

Republicans in both chambers have promised to roll out their own school funding packages next week.

Mays declined to give many details of what House Republicans have in mind, except that their plan would not increase any taxes, use the state’s cash reserves or divert money that Sebelius has earmarked to give state workers a raise.

But Mays did offer that the plan would contain “a significant element of local control.” And, he said, “The budget is not as tight as the governor would like you to believe,” so that existing revenues might be tapped.

In the Senate, President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, said GOP members are working on a stopgap plan. But he, too, declined to give details.

“Most of us believe a big plan needs to wait on the Supreme Court,” he said.

Meanwhile, school districts have their own timetable. They must notify teachers by May 1 about staffing for the 2004-05 school year — with or without knowing how much state aid they will receive.


On the Net:

Governor’s Office: http://www.ksgovernor.org

Kansas Legislature: http://www.kslegislature.org