LJWorld.com

Topeka — Despite a record three-year $466 million school funding increase and the blessing of the Kansas Supreme Court, the battle over how to allocate money to schools rages on.

Skirmishes have erupted early in the 2007 Kansas Legislature, and Lawrence school officials have been caught in the crossfire.

The reason for the fighting is that there are "unresolved issues" from the school finance plan approved last year, according to Kathy Cook, executive director of Kansas Families United for Public Education, which lobbied for funding increases.

"It is simply because legislators put together a plan based on politics and not the actual costs of educating students," Cook said.

Last year, the Legislature approved the school finance law in response to a Kansas Supreme Court ruling that the school funding system was underfunded and unfairly distributed money.

The legislative fix increased the amount of money directed to schools with higher numbers of special education students and those considered at risk of failing.

But lawmakers from what are considered wealthier districts say they were cheated in the process.

Last week, the Kansas House approved locking in the final two years of funding in the three-year school plan, but not before attempts were made to direct more funding to those wealthier districts.

When those failed, some representatives, including Rep. Anthony Brown, R-Eudora, voiced their displeasure.

Brown joined a group of Johnson County legislators in voting against the "lockbox" legislation and issued this statement: "Under this plan, Johnson County will provide one-third of the money, educate one-fifth of the kids and receive less than one-tenth of state dollars."

Meanwhile, poorer districts are upset about parts of the new finance law that allow districts to increase their local taxes to add to their overall education funding.

Wealthier districts can afford this much easier than poorer districts, they say.

"This inherent disadvantage to poorer school districts will surely be the seeds of a future lawsuit," said Bill Reardon, a lobbyist for Kansas City, Kan., public schools.

The advantage is particularly upsetting, he said, in a part of the law that allows 18 school districts, including Lawrence, to increase local property taxes because of the higher cost of living in those districts. Those revenues are then used to pay teachers more and enhance school programs.

"In a large metro area with over a dozen (districts), hiring and retaining teachers and administrators is difficult if your neighboring districts can offer significantly higher salaries," Reardon said.

He said many teachers in the lower-paying Kansas City, Kan., school district live in Johnson County, which has a higher cost of living.

These inconsistencies, Reardon said, "cry out for a serious examination."