Remember when we said we were skeptical about the “certainty” of the block grant funding? We still are. Although the across-the-board cuts, including 6.2% to education were avoided when the tax bill was passed, we still see that cuts to education are not “off the table” when budgets are tight.

“Budget Director Shawn Sullivan said that without tax increases, the most likely option for Brownback is cutting $400 million from a budget approved by legislators for the fiscal year beginning July 1, to avoid a deficit. He said the cuts would most likely be a 6.2 percent across-the-board reduction in their state funds, taking effect in late July or early August.

“Sullivan discussed details during a meeting of 27 House Republicans after the chamber postponed a debate on a bill raising sales and income taxes that the Senate approved Sunday. The meeting was private, but an Associated Press reporter who wandered in was allowed to stay after declining to leave…

“Sullivan said schools would lose $197 million of the more than $4 billion in state aid they were set to receive during the next fiscal year. Such a reduction would wipe out increased funds lawmakers allocated last year to meet a Kansas Supreme Court directive to provide extra aid to poor districts.” Read more here: http://www.kmbc.com/news/kansas-budget-chief-warns-of-deep-cuts-if-taxes-arent-raised/33472882