House and Senate Democrats today announced the Kansas Kids First plan to restore cuts in education funding, lower property taxes and make certain everyone pays their fair share.


"Cuts to Kansas schools have gone way too far in the last few years," said House Minority Leader Paul Davis of Lawrence.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley of Topeka said,  “Our proposal is a reasonable, multi-year plan that will restore education cuts incrementally without increasing the tax burden on local property taxpayers. In fact, we're going to give Kansans a much-needed property tax cut."

The Lawrence Journal-World has already called the Democrats plan “a stark contrast to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback's desire to rewrite the school finance formula and place more responsibility for education funding on local boards of education.”

 Davis said, "The problem has not been the formula; it has been the lack of funding. There is no reason to overhaul a school finance formula that has already withstood the muster of the Kansas Supreme Court. The Legislature simply needs to hold up its end of the bargain and fund the formula properly.

In events at Mission Valley Middle School in Leawood and Lowen Hill Elementary School in Topeka, Hensley, Davis and members of the House and Senate Democratic caucuses announced the details of Kansas Kids First.

The plan will increase school funding incrementally, adding $45 million the first year and building to increase base aid per student from the current $3,780 to $4,047 by 2015.

Kansas Democrats also propose sending $45 millon of the state’s excess revenue to cities and counties to help them lower their property tax rates.

The Lawrence Journal-World also reported today that the governor plans to propose a budget that would lock the education cuts into the current, low $3,780 per student level.

In just the last two years, $400 million has been cut from education spending in Kansas.

The Democratic plan would also retain the current system of weightings, which provide rural districts with the money to transport students long distances from home to school. Weightings also provide the money districts need to educate students who have problems with English, are at-risk or face other challenges.

The Kansas Democratic plan comes at the same time that Kansas has a surplus of revenue and Gov. Brownback is planning to announce a proposal to rewrite the tax system.

"Republicans want to give our surplus revenue to corporations who already aren't paying their fair share," Hensley said. "Democrats value public education, and we want the state budget to reflect that by using extra state revenue to make an investment in our children's future."

See more about the announcement on the Kansas House Democratic Caucus Facebook page.