State Rep. Bill Otto told Iola school board members Monday he doesn’t expect Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to revise the state’s education finance formula to make it back to the governor’s desk.
“Unless this plan is approved a lot, I think (the Brownback administration) is going to have some serious trouble getting this through the Legislature,” the Le Roy Republican said.
The proposed plan would increase the amount of state aid a school district receives for each student it educates but the graduated levels for certain students — poor, minority, single parent — would be eliminated — a move that equates to less money for Iola schools.
But it’s not going to be all or none, Otto said. The governor’s office has also made known an intent to stop providing matching funds for school construction projects — plans Otto says have a good chance of becoming law.
“From your perspective, you’re the last piggy at the trough,” he told USD 257 board members. “From the perspective of the state, what we’ve done is given blank checks and we’ve got a lot of checks coming due all across the state with districts having passed bond issues.”
Otto said he hopes the Legislature can reach a compromise and grant exceptions for schools with the most need.
“My strategy will be to try and amend it so if you haven’t had a bond issue in 10 years you can still get the match,” he said.
The state currently provides a 44 percent match on USD 257 bonds.
Otto: Governor’s school finance plan expected to fail
