Brownback wants public input on new school funding system

TOPEKA — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback wants to hear what the public thinks about how schools are funded.

Brownback told WIBW-AM that the old system had “a lot of problems,” and it’s time to talk about a new one. He said Tuesday that his office plans to announce a system for collecting public feedback in the next couple of weeks. He says people should also discuss the issue with legislative candidates.

Last year, the state’s per-pupil funding formula was junked in favor of predictable grants to districts that allowed lawmakers to better control state spending. The plan is to replace the grants with a new funding system.

An ongoing legal fight clouds the discussions. The Kansas Supreme Court could rule by the year’s end on whether lawmakers are underfunding schools.