Two Republicans who voted against the block grant school finance bill have been removed from the Kansas House Education Committee and replaced with legislators who voted in favor of the bill.

Reps. Diana Dierks, of Salina, and John Ewy, of Jetmore, were notified this week they had been taken off the committee.

Dierks said the changes are unfortunate for students in Kansas.

“I truly feel this is a sad day for Kansas education,” Dierks said. “When I’m serving, I’m still serving the people of Kansas, and that’s how I vote.”

Changes were also made to the Kansas House committee that oversees health care issues, removing three members who supported Medicaid expansion. Kansas is one of 20 states that have elected not to expand Medicaid.

Dierks — who was moved to the elections committee — said that when she asked why she was removed from the education committee, she was told it was for the betterment of the caucus.

“These things happen, they deem it politics,” she said.

Republican Rep. Willie Dove, of Bonner Springs — who voted in favor of the block grant bill — was also removed from the education committee and made vice chairman of the health committee. House Speaker Ray Merrick, of Stilwell, who is in charge of assigning legislators to committees, made the changes to both the health and education committees Wednesday.

In March, the Kansas Legislature repealed the school finance system in place since 1992 and replaced it with block grants for the next two years, during which time legislators will put together a new school funding formula. The block grants provide essentially flat funding to schools in the meantime, with some poor districts seeing substantial decreases in the amount of “equalization aid” provided to offset lower collections from property taxes.

Ewy — who was moved to the transportation committee — said he was disappointed to have been taken off the education committee, as he represented smaller schools and community colleges from western Kansas.

“Most of the issues we would hear about would happen in eastern Kansas, so I would call back home and see if the issues were happening there,” he said.

Ewy said he wasn’t told why he was removed, but that he is “98 percent sure” of the reason.

“The only reason I can think of is that I did not always vote the way that leadership wanted me to,” he said. “I came to Topeka to represent the 117th District, and that’s the way I voted.”

The three members who were added to the education committee to replace Dierks, Ewy and Dove voted in favor of the block grants. The new members are Republicans Kevin Jones, of Wellsville, Kasha Kelley, of Arkansas City, and Becky Hutchins, of Holton.

Merrick said in an email that the experience of all three of the newly named members would bring helpful viewpoints and information to the committee.

“I believe that this mix of legislators gives the education committee a well-rounded perspective as they work to ensure the success of Kansas students is our top priority,” he said.

All three of the legislators removed from the education committee began serving in 2013. Merrick noted the experience of their replacements: Jones serves on the Wellsville School Board; Kelley is a former education committee chair; and Hutchins served in the House from 1994-2006, as a member of the education committee from 2003-2004, and as the chair of the education budget committee from 2005-2006.

“[Hutchins] brings a historic perspective that many of the legislators who began serving in 2013 do not have,” Merrick said.

The block grants resulted in a net loss of about $1.5 million to the Lawrence public school district’s budget, according to Lawrence schools Superintendent Rick Doll. In response, the district made about $1.2 million in budget cuts, mostly by reducing staff, and increased its property tax rate for the first time in five years.

Lawrence school board president Vanessa Sanburn said she was disappointed by the changes to the education committee.

“In my view, better education policy can be set by those with multiple perspectives who are willing to engage in healthy debate and not simply toe the party line,” Sanburn said.