“A state Senate leader [Terry Bruce] thinks some school districts’ cash reserves ‘are just absurd.’ A House subcommittee votes not just to reject state universities’ funding requests but also to chastise them for the ‘absurdity’ of the proposals.

“In reality, what’s absurd is that architects of our state’s budget crisis would urge school districts – once scolded for not having businesslike reserves – to get busy and spend down their balances. And it’s unimaginable if Kansas is now a place where Board of Regents institutions are expected to be grateful for whatever flat or reduced support the state gives them and to not bother with visionary plans for the future – or at least bother the Legislature with requests to help invest in those plans…

“District leaders say the numbers being used are outdated and misleading, and that funds in reserve either are already committed or necessary to handle known or unknown hits ahead, including a delay in the state’s capital outlay equalization funding…

“As Rep. Barbara Bollier, R-Mission Hills, reminded Peck and other colleagues: ‘It is a policy choice to have reduced our revenues.’

“During the rest of this difficult session, GOP lawmakers would do well to refrain from blaming and lecturing the victims of their absurd tax policy.”

http://www.kansas.com/opinion/editorials/article10645769.html