Topeka ? House Democrats and moderate Republicans combined forces Friday to pass a bill raising sales and income taxes to fund a $155 million package for public schools.

Sent to the Senate on a 72-52 vote, the bill contains a plan that is triple the size of a one-year package of school aid that was proposed by the House GOP leadership and won approval Thursday.

The $155 million proposal, drafted by Rep. Bill Kassebaum, R-Burdick, would raise the state’s 5.3 percent sales tax to 5.5 percent and place a 4.5 percent surcharge on individual income taxes.

In addition, the bill includes language, sought by Johnson County legislators, allowing local school boards to increase property taxes by up to $120 million, subject to voter approval.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, whose own three-year, $304 million school finance plan has been rejected by legislators, said she was pleased with the coalition that stepped forward to support Kassebaum’s package.

Speaking at a news conference, Sebelius called the House bill “very significant.”

But Rep. Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls and chairman of the Appropriations Committee, questioned the fairness of legislation to help only schools. He said legislators could be forced to trim spending on other programs to balance the state budget, even if they passed the bill and gave schools more money.

Other Republicans said raising taxes would put stress on the economy.

“I think we have a Democratic Party and a few Republicans who are hell-bent on raising taxes,” House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, said Thursday. “This is a significant increase in taxes.”

The Senate planned its own debate Friday on a plan by that chamber’s Republican leadership to increase aid to school districts by $65 million, partly through higher liquor taxes.

On Thursday, the House passed and sent to the Senate a $51.8 million school finance measure, which was a scaled-down version of Mays’ plan.

That bill would send districts an additional $28 million next year — using existing state revenues — for bilingual education, teacher mentoring and programs for children who are at risk of dropping out of school. It would also let 16 districts with a high cost of living increase their property taxes by a collective $23.5 million.

Kassebaum’s bill had been rejected Wednesday but was resurrected Thursday with support from Johnson County Republicans.

“Obviously, Johnson County came along this time, and other parts of the state,” Kassebaum said. “It’s not a perfect plan, but it’s a start.”

Rep. Cindy Neighbor, R-Shawnee, was among the Johnson County legislators backing Kassebaum’s plan.

“We need to strengthen the options that are on the table,” Neighbor said.

Kassebaum’s plan would add $100 to base state aid per pupil, bringing the figure to $3,963. The bill would also increase funding for bilingual and programs aimed at poor and minority students, and fund 100 percent of districts’ excess costs for special education.

A preliminary order issued in December by Shawnee County District Judge Terry Bullock, which the state has appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court, put pressure on legislators to raise aid to school districts above the current $2.6 billion a year. The judge plans to make his order final on July 1, unless otherwise directed by the higher court.

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School finance are Senate Substitute for HB 2004, HB 2937 and HB 2940.