TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) If Democrat Carl Brewer were Kansas governor, lawmakers might be discussing legalizing marijuana to raise extra money for public schools as they struggle to agree on a plan for satisfying a state Supreme Court mandate on education funding.
Some major candidates for governor, like Brewer, believe the state must boost its annual spending on schools by several hundred million dollars, phasing in such an increase in spending. Several arent outlining specific proposals, and conservative Republican Kris Kobach said this week that the courts demand for more money is unwarranted.
The Supreme Court ruled in October that the more than $4 billion a year that the state spends on aid to its 286 local school districts isnt sufficient under the state constitution.
The court didnt set a specific spending target but hinted in its decision that it might have to rise by $650 million a year. Republican leaders commissioned a cost study by two out-of-state consultants, only to be stunned when it said improving public schools might cost as much as $2 billion more a year.
Donors, interest groups and political activists are watching the nine major hopefuls ahead of the June 1 candidate filing deadline. Education funding is the biggest financial issue facing the state before the Aug. 7 primary election.
The major Republican candidates are Gov. Jeff Colyer, Kobach, Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer and former state Sen. Jim Barnett, a Topeka physician.
The major Democratic candidates are Brewer, the former Wichita mayor; state Sen. Laura Kelly, of Topeka; former state Agriculture Secretary Joshua Svaty; and Kansas House Minority Leader Jim Ward, of Wichita.
Kansas City-area businessman Greg Orman has launched potentially the most serious independent campaign for governor in more than 80 years. He said the next governor would face a different set of challenges and Orman expects the Legislature to do its job by satisfying the Supreme Court.
Colyer, elevated from lieutenant governor when former GOP Gov. Sam Brownback resigned to take an ambassadors post, told lawmakers soon after he took office that their plan must end education funding lawsuits and should avoid increasing taxes. Spokesman Kendall Marr pointed to those comments when asked about Colyers proposals now.
