Block grant proposal would cut millions from Topeka area and shift tax burden

The block grant proposal cuts operational budgets for many districts and would force some to raise their mill levies, which would be a further move towards shifting tax burdens in Kansas from income tax to property tax.

“Shawnee County school districts appear poised to lose millions of dollars in operational and maintenance funds under a bill that would replace the state’s school finance formula with block grants…

“’We believe, from what we know, that it’s going to be a net loss of $400,000′ for Auburn-Washburn Unified School District 437, superintendent Brenda Dietrich said…
According to The Topeka Capital-Journal’s own, unofficial tallies, the bill appears to cut key operational and maintenance funds for all five Shawnee County school districts next school year. Topeka USD 501 would lose about $2.07 million, Auburn-Washburn about $450,000, Seaman about $330,000, Silver Lake about $18,000 and Shawnee Heights about $460,000.

“Kaw Valley USD 321, a school district that ranks as one of the wealthiest in the state in terms of its local property valuation, would gain about $27,000, according to The Capital-Journal’s unofficial count.

“On Thursday, House Speaker Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, touted the bill in a press release, calling it ‘vital for getting more money into the classroom where it can positively impact student outcomes.’…
The House plans to have a hearing on the bill Monday in its budget committee, and a Senate hearing is also expected next week.

“Shawnee Heights USD 450 superintendent Marty Stessman expressed similar concerns, saying he thinks mill levies would increase across the state, undoing the widespread drop in property taxes that resulted from a Kansas Supreme Court decision last year.

“If USD 450 needs to spend its carryover because of a loss of supplemental state aid, he said, ‘we will have to raise our mill levy next year quite a bit to make up for it.’…

“Stessman said he believes the bill is a ‘back-door way to sweep everybody’s cash balances’ from their supplemental funds, by cutting supplemental aid and compelling them to spend the cash down.

“Jeff Zehnder, communications director for Seaman USD 345, said the bill would be ‘a serious problem’ for his district because it would cut off money related to new facilities.

“’The bond referendum our patrons passed in 2013 relied on the legislature funding equipment for the new Seaman Middle School,’ Zehnder said. ‘The bill ends that program, which will cut $1.5 million from Seaman.’

“He said the bill contains a grandfather clause that would help some school districts, but not his.

“’It’s not right to tear this away mid-stream,’ he added. ‘We can’t stop building because the Legislature changed its mind halfway through Seaman’s construction program.’”

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