Education, Careers & Professional News
Kansas lawmakers say money for education will be hard to find
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Finding money for education will be easier said than done. With ever-tightening budgets and rising costs, lawmakers will be strapped to find extra cash for education. The question remains where will they get it?
The court did not give a specific amount of money it recommends should go to Kansas schools, that`s part of the challenge for lawmakers. There are a number of different options, many that you have probably heard before. Lawmakers could require smaller school districts to merge - cutting administrative costs. Raising taxes is another option. It`s one lawmakers say they`ll consider carefully.
“We’ll have to take off our political hats and try to come up with something that`s good for education but palatable for taxpayers also,” said Education Chairperson Senator Jean Schodorf. “And that`s the two-edged sword.”
This all comes at a time when there is a big anti-tax push in Topeka. Schodorf says the good news is the economy is getting better and revenue projections are up.
Most Kansans don’t want a tax increase, even for schools. We polled 500 Kansans and asked about where the money should come from. Our Exclusive Eyewitness News Scientific Survey shows only 25% support raising taxes while 68% say the state should cut money from other state-funded services.