Topeka ? The Kansas State Board of Education on Tuesday recommended a $149 million increase for public schools in the 2007-08 school year to endorse the amount lawmakers already have approved.

“What we’re really doing is agreeing with the Legislature’s appropriation,” said board member Sue Gamble, R-Shawnee.

In making the recommendation, the board split 6-4 along its usual conservative-moderate lines.

Those voting with Gamble against the recommendation were Bill Wagnon, D-Topeka, Janet Waugh, D-Kansas City, and Carol Rupe, R-Wichita. Earlier they backed measures to further increase the funding recommendation for all-day kindergarten and programs for children at risk of failing.

But those sticking with the legislative amount were Steve Abrams, R-Arkansas City, Ken Willard, R-Hutchinson, Iris Van Meter, R-Thayer, Connie Morris, R-St. Francis, and Kathy Martin, R-Clay Center.

The $149 million represents the second year of a three-year, $466 million appropriation by the Legislature that last month was approved by the Kansas Supreme Court to end a long-running school finance lawsuit.

This year, schools will receive $194.5 million. The third-year appropriation is $122.7 million.

The board’s recommendation followed a contentious debate about full-day kindergarten.

Currently the state pays for half-day kindergarten. Many school districts offer full-day kindergarten by dipping into local funds, grants, base state aid or using their at-risk funds.

The Lawrence school district doesn’t offer full-day kindergarten.

Abrams proposed a plan that would reduce the base state aid to all school districts and instead provide the funds needed for every district to offer all-day kindergarten.

But Waugh, Gamble and Rupe said that would punish school districts that already have scrambled to provide full-day kindergarten.

“That’s not fair,” said Waugh, whose board district includes eastern Douglas County.

Later in the day, Abrams withdrew his proposal. Waugh recommended adding a three-year, $72 million phase-in of funding to pay for all-day kindergarten statewide. That motion failed.