“The school districts will make their case to the State Finance Council, which is charged with dispersing up to $12.29 million in emergency aid this fiscal year for schools with extraordinary needs.
“That is less than the total applications pending before the council, which add up to $15.07 million.
“The single largest request comes from USD 500, which is seeking $2.02 million based on an estimated 500-student jump in enrollment…
“Kansas’ emergency aid fund for schools is new. The Legislature created it this spring when it cut more than $50 million in equalization aid statewide.
“Equalization aid is funding that goes to school districts based on the relative weakness of their local property values, and therefore of their ability to raise funds locally.
“The same legislation also scrapped Kansas’ decades-old formula for calculating the amount of state aid that school districts receive each year.
“Prior to the legislation, school districts received annual funding based on a variety of factors — such as how many students enrolled and how many came from low-income families. The Legislature cut that tie, but said school districts that can prove they have extraordinary needs can apply for the emergency funds.”