Topeka ? A legislative conference committee started work Monday on a school finance plan that critics say is inadequate, irresponsible and unconstitutional.

But Lawrence Supt. Randy Weseman says at this point he doesn’t care.

After years of cutting expenditures here and increasing fees there, Weseman said the Lawrence district was in desperate need of more revenue.

“It’s a life preserver. I’m not going to throw it away,” Weseman said.

The Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature has failed its constitutional duty to properly fund schools and has given lawmakers until April 12 to increase funding and distribute the money more equitably in the current $2.7 billion system.

In response, with almost entirely Republican support, the House passed a $115.9 million increase in school funding, and the Senate passed a $147.1 million increase.

Both proposals are one-year plans that hold the line on statewide taxes. They would tap existing revenues and cash reserves, and they give local districts the opportunity to increase local taxes for schools.

“If I get a one-year reprieve, I’m fine with that,” Weseman said.

The six-member conference committee met for about an hour Monday. It discussed differences in the two plans before deciding to try to meet again today.

The measures would increase base state aid per pupil, funding for students who are at risk of failing and students whose first language isn’t English, and special education students.

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The Senate plan is more generous in funding base state aid per pupil, which it increases by $120 per student from $3,863. The House plan increases aid by $80 per student.

With the Senate plan, the Lawrence school district would receive about $2.6 million more for the 2005-2006 school year. With the House plan, it would receive $1.8 million more.

But the House plan would allow 16 districts statewide, including Lawrence, to institute a special mill levy for teacher salaries, which could produce $1.5 million. This levy would apply only in districts with high housing costs.

Democratic opposition

Democrats contend the reliance on local tax increases to help pay for the plans make worse the inequities in school funding that courts have found objectionable.

Currently, those local property taxes can’t exceed 25 percent of state funding to the district, but the Senate plan would raise that cap to 27 percent; the House plan would raise the cap to 30 percent.

“There is an inherent inequality between large, wealthier school districts who can easily increase their local-option budget and smaller, poorer school districts who are unable to utilize such a funding mechanism without drastically increasing their local property taxes,” said state Sen. Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka.

In addition, Democrats have blasted the plans for covering only one year and for failing to provide new revenue for future years.

Last year, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius proposed a $310 million tax increase for a three-year school plan. Lawmakers rejected it, and so far this year, they don’t seem any more willing to accept new taxes.

Earlier this month, the Senate rejected proposals to increase taxes for schools.

A House committee budget proposal adopted last week would delay state employee pay raises and reduce proposed increases to higher education in order to help pay for the school finance plan without a statewide tax increase.