Brief ⁽¹⁾

SB 134 directs the State Board of Education to provide for a professional evaluation of school district finance to determine the per pupil cost of a suitable education for Kansas children. This evaluation must include a thorough study of the current school finance law with the objective of addressing any inherent inadequacies and inequities. Also, this evaluation must address:

• The funding needed to provide a suitable education in typical K-12 schools of various sizes and locations;
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• The additional support needed for special education, at-risk, limited English proficient pupils, and pupils impacted by other special circumstances;
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• The funding adjustments necessary to ensure comparable purchasing power for all districts, regardless of size or location; and
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• An appropriate annual adjustment for inflation.

The evaluation must cover the costs of providing:

• Comparable opportunities in the state's small rural schools as well as the larger, more urban schools, including differences in transportation needs resulting from population sparsity as well as differences in annual operating costs;
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• Suitable opportunities in elementary, middle, and high schools;
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• Special programming opportunities, including vocational education programs;
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• Education of at-risk children and those with limited English proficiency;
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• Meeting the needs of pupils with disabilities; and
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• Geographic variations in costs of personnel, materials, supplies and equipment, and other fixed costs so that districts across the state are afforded comparable purchasing power.

The State Board of Education would secure consultant services to conduct this evaluation. The consultant would report findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature at the beginning of the 2002 Legislative Session.

For the purpose of this legislation, the term "suitable education" means a curricular program consisting of the subjects and courses required under KSA 72-1101, 72-1103, and 72-1117, as amended, the courses in foreign language, fine arts, and physical education required to qualify for a state scholarship under KSA 72-6810 through 72-6816, as amended, and the courses included in the precollege curriculum prescribed by the Board of Regents under KSA 76-717, as amended.

The bill takes effect upon publication in the Kansas Register.

Background

SB 134 contains the recommendation of the Governor's Vision 21^st Century Initiative Task Force on K-12 Education: Financing for Results. The Task Force recommended $450,000 for a school finance study and the Governor included that amount in his FY 2002 budget recommendation. However, the Governor supported evaluation of the school finance formula instead of a study of the cost of providing a suitable education.

The Kansas National Education Association expressed support for a formula study, both in the short-term and on an ongoing basis, to ensure that suitable financing for Kansas schools is achieved. There were no other conferees.

1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/fulltext.cgi