Topeka ? The House barely advanced a plan for permitting a one-year, $92 million increase in school spending mostly through higher local property taxes, while a Senate committee reviewed alternative proposals.

The House’s school finance bill won tentative approval Tuesday on a 63-62, setting up final action that could send the measure to the Senate.

Meanwhile, the Senate Education Committee continued hearings on a proposal from that chamber’s Republicans to enhance state aid to districts — currently about $2.6 billion — with a one-year infusion of $65 million, raised in part through higher alcohol taxes.

Chairman Dwayne Umbarger, R-Thayer, said the committee also will consider scaling back Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ plan to give school districts an additional $304 million over three years by raising state taxes on sales, property and personal income. Sebelius’ fellow Democrats are willing to settle for approval of the plan’s first year, at a cost of $137 million.

Neither chamber has embraced the Democratic governor’s entire plan.

The House Republican plan would authorize school districts to raise up to $40.5 million for special education, by eliminating or reducing an existing tax break that saves homeowners $46 a year.

State law currently exempts the first $2,300 of a home’s assessed value — which equals 11.5 percent of the appraised value — from the statewide property tax levy for schools. The levy is $20 for every $1,000 of a residential property’s assessed value.

In addition, the House plan would use money from the Kansas Lottery, certain unclaimed property and the state’s settlement with tobacco companies to put an additional $28.5 million into teacher mentoring, bilingual education and programs for children who are at risk of dropping out of school.

Finally, the measure would let 16 districts with a relatively high cost of living increase their property taxes an additional $23.5 million.

Democrats said the plan would worsen existing inequities in school funding by letting wealthy districts increase spending at rates poor districts could never achieve.

In a December order now being appealed to the state Supreme Court, Shawnee County District Judge Terry Bullock found the existing school finance system unconstitutional.

Bullock said the formula yields too little revenue to provide all children — especially poor and minority students — a suitable education and distributes the aid unfairly.

Senate Republicans’ plan differs in numerous aspects from the House proposal.

Under the Senate plan, school districts would get an additional $44.5 million in unrestricted funds, amounting to $100 per student, plus $8.5 million for special education and $5.1 million for programs aimed at poor and minority students.

Bilingual programs would get an additional $1 million and the state would set aside $1.5 million to help districts provide health insurance.

The Senate plan would be funded by an increase in alcohol taxes of $20 million to $22 million plus $45.9 million captured through revisions in the state’s payments of tax refunds, its use of business tax credits and access to unclaimed private property.

In other action:

— A measure allowing Kansans to carry concealed handguns went to the full Senate after being endorsed by the Federal and State Affairs Committee.

— The House narrowly approved a bill allowing the state to raise the speed limit to 75 mph on some of its highways.

— Legislation that sacrifices a promised drop in sales taxes to preserve the state’s comprehensive transportation program cleared the House and moved to the Senate.

— A bill requiring most children to wear seat belts or use safety seats while riding in motor vehicles cleared a House committee.

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House GOP school funding is HB 2937.