Kansas Lawmakers Propose Big Cut to School Funding Tax

Public school supporters are worried about a bill in the Kansas House that aims to reduce the state tax funding public schools by $800 million over five years. The plan is to drop the statewide property tax rate from 20 to 18. 5 mills starting next fiscal year and then keep the tax collections at the current level. The Kansas Department of Revenue estimates this would save $823. 6 million over five years, assuming property values increase by 5% each year. Lawmakers are debating whether this cut could lead to reduced funding for schools, which might result in another legal battle. The Kansas Supreme Court has repeatedly ordered the Legislature to properly fund schools. Last year, the court ended its oversight, making school officials anxious about future funding. Republicans in the House Taxation Committee say their goal isn't to cut school funding but stopped short of promising more money from the State General Fund. Without this, schools could lose $100 to $169 per pupil in the next two years. Tim Graham from the Kansas National Education Association expressed concerns that aggressive tax cuts in the past have hurt schools. He and other school advocates are neutral on the bill but worried about the potential large property tax cut. Representative Adam Smith, the committee chair, noted that property tax relief would increase the burden on income and sales taxes, making future cuts harder. Business and agriculture groups support the bill, with Dan Murray from the National Federation of Independent Business stating that 88% of their members want a lower property tax rate. The bill uses the term "ad valorem tax, " which confused Representative Clarke Sanders. John Donley from the Kansas Farm Bureau explained that "ad valorem" simply means "property" tax.